The Little Red Tattoo
by TwinTurbo
Summary: Kensi is MIA in Afghanistan. How will Deeks and the rest of the team handle this? What will the future hold for them?
1. Chapter 1

**Well here goes my second attempt at writing. Just something that crossed my mind so I thought I would run with it. Let me know what you think.**

**The Little Red Tattoo**

Chapter 1

Istanbul, Turkey – September 19, 2017

Sitting on the balcony of the Vali suite at the Ciragan Palace Kempinski Hotel over looking the Bosphorus Bridge, one of the deadliest assassins in the Middle East is drinking a Turkish coffee. It was a beautiful autumn day, with the sun shining and the temperature a very respectable twenty-five degrees Celsius.

A picture of an elderly woman with short hair and glasses is placed on the little table holding the coffee and a small computer. Encrypted files were being received with the information required to begin the mission to eradicate another high profile target.

This assignment was going to be a little more difficult than the others as it was to be carried out on American soil. Preparations had already begun to procure the false travel documents and to back stop the new identity required for the operation. But there was still some time before any travel would take place, so for the next few days a well needed rest was in order.

She stood up from her seat and leaned on the handrail to take in the view of the peninsula. It was a truly stunning sight and so welcomed after being in the mountains of Afghanistan for the last month.

Her mind was on the new target. This was not the usual high ranking military male, it was a woman and there was something about this particular person that was different or even familiar in some strange way. It was there in the back of her mind but she just couldn't reach it.

She picked up the photo and studied it again.

_What is it about you lady? Have we crossed paths at some time? What's the connection?_

Well she was going to find out what she could about this target over the next few days and see if she could figure this out.

It seemed that certain parts of her life were always covered in a fog, especially her early years. This was becoming more and more of an issue, but the pills helped with this and the headaches. Problem was that the pain was increasing and she needed to up the dosage to stay focused.

Picking up the computer she moved back into the room to take a shower. She grabbed the bottle of pills from the side table and popped one in her mouth.

_That should help with the memories, now for a shower._

The light robe dropped to the floor exposing her well sculpted body. In the mirror she studied her reflection and smiled. The image was thin, lean, well tanned with excellent muscle tone. Her hair was auburn and cut short, much easier to keep given the number of wigs and disguises she used. A small tattoo of a red scorpion with its tail curled up ready to strike was positioned at the junction between the top of her right leg and torso. When she wore a bikini the tattoo would be completely hidden. Her fingers lightly stroked the scorpion as she moved towards the shower stall. Only a hand full of men had seen this mark and lived. It was a part of the job that she didn't care for, but rules were rules and her survival depended on being a ghost. The less people knew of her and how to identify her, the better.

The shower was quick and cold, just the way she liked it and just the way she carried out all her assignments.

* * *

Los Angeles, January 3, 2014

Deeks was just settling into his couch getting ready to watch a little television and trying not to think about a certain brunette that was thousands of miles away. He knew that was going to be impossible so he took a long pull of the beer in his hand and stared at the satellite phone on the table in front of him. Waiting and hoping she would call him even for a quick hello, just to hear her voice. His mind was constantly working, wondering.

_What was she doing? How did she spend Christmas and New Years? Was the mission nearly complete?_ These were just a few of the questions going through his head.

To say that he missed her would be the understatement of the decade. They needed to get through this assignment and then things could start moving the in the right direction for them. Finally after years of dancing around their 'thing' they were both on the same page and ready to do what was needed to make it work.

Another pull of the beer and more staring at the phone. It was going to be another long night of nothing but doing nothing. How many times could he go for a run with Monty?

How many times could he go and check for mail at Kensi' place and then just hangout there reminiscing about their movie nights?

Truth be known, this sitting around waiting was killing him. He needed to move, do something to take his mind off the excruciatingly slow passing of time. The weekend was here and that would only accent everything he was going through.

Finally around midnight Deeks decided it was time for bed. He grabbed the phone off the table and moved it to his bedroom on the table next to his bed. Crawling under the sheets he turned the light off and stared up at the ceiling.

"Kensi, you just need to stay safe and come back soon. 'Night Fern."

As usual the night was restless. With the amount of tossing and turning that Deeks went through, he really didn't need to go for a morning run, but he did so none the less.

He would carry both phones with him everywhere he went, constantly checking to see if the battery was full or if he had a message. He was getting paranoid he would forget the satellite phone and miss her call. Surfing was out of the question as well so the weekend past painfully slow at best.

Monday morning brought a new day with new hope for a call from his favourite NCIS agent. Sitting at his desk he would randomly look over to the lone empty chair across from him. Sam and Callen were both busy cleaning up unfinished reports. The silence was broken by the ringing of the phone. All three heads shot up and looked at each other.

"Well are you going to answer it or not?"

"Yeah G I am. Give me sec."

Unfolding the antenna Deeks hit the button expecting to hear a happy Kensi ready to make small talk and ask how everyone was doing so when the first thing he heard was automatic gun fire Deeks screamed "Kensi what's happening? Are you alright? Talk to me." His words were filled with emotion and fear. Callen and Sam jumped up from their seats and were standing beside him looking frantic.

"Put it on speaker. Sam, get the others." Callen was barking orders, worry consuming him.

"Deeks just listen. We are pinned down and it's getting bad. These are our co-ordinates for this sector. We need help fast. Our comms are down so this is all I have. Here goes: Alpha-1-6-3-Echo-Charlie-7-5."

More gun fire in the background.

Hetty was listening and the look on her face was hiding nothing. She was scared for Kensi and everyone could see it.

Nell and Eric had run down the stairs like they were on fire, tablets in hand and fear in their eyes.

No one spoke they just listened to the horrific scene being played out over the speaker.

"Hetty was right, there is mole leaking Intel. We were ambushed. Sabatino is missing. Granger and I are trapped." A constant barrage of automatic fire filled the background.

Deeks mouthed "Sabatino" and Sam just shook his head.

Nell was biting her lower lip and tears were starting to form.

Hetty stared at the phone with a look that underlined the gravity of the situation.

"Nell, get the Director on the line. We need to contact the team in Afghanistan and get them this information."

"Kensi, Kensi are you still there?"

"God, Granger's been hit. I can't get to him. I'm trapped in this corner. They are all around us. There are just too many."

"Hold on we are getting help. Just hold on. Promise me."

Deeks was in full panic mode. His voice was shaking with emotion. Everyone just looked at him as he stared at the phone trying to hold it together.

When Kensi spoke again her voice was different, lower, softer almost serene. The background noise was somewhat muted but still there.

"Marty listen to me," she paused and swallowed hard, "I need you to remember one thing. I love you. I have always loved you. I was just too stubborn and too afraid to tell you. You were the best thing that ever happened to me. You made me laugh, all the time and when I was with you nothing else mattered. We could do anything together and I could feel it when you looked at me."

More gun fire and yelling in the background.

"You saved me in so many different ways and you were always there for me."

Nell had tears running down her face and Eric had his glasses off and was wiping his eyes with both hands.

"No, no, no… don't you dare think you can say that to me over the phone." She could hear the emotion in his voice as he continued. "You are going to tell me to my face when you come home or I'm going to come there and drag you back, top secret mission or not."

Deeks was fighting the tears but to no avail. This couldn't be happening. Not now, not when they were about to start their life as a couple. He knew first hand that life was cruel, but this was too much even for Deeks to handle.

The gun fire was getting closer now.

More return fire and then the 'click…click' of an empty magazine.

"Marty, please talk to my mom. It has to be you. Give Monty a hug for me. I will love you always."

The sound of loud gun fire was followed by that of the phone hitting the ground and bouncing off the rocks.

"Kensi…. Kensi ….Answer me. Please Fern just say something."

Deeks was pleading, hoping to hear her voice again, but the line was dead. With tears in his eyes, he fell back into his chair and dropped his head.

He was completely numb. His entire world had just been obliterated.

How was he going to get through life without her?

"Hetty, we gotta do something. We can't leave her there. It's Kensi!" Callen was furious, he started pacing around the desks trying to control his anger.

Sam slammed his fist on the desk "Damn it Hetty, we need to go get her back. It has to be us and it must be now."

Sam walked over behind Deeks and put his hand on his shoulder and spoke.

" Deeks…. Deeks, we're going to get her back. Let's go get ready. Kensi needs us now and every second counts. Come on." Grabbing the side of his arm, Sam started to help Deeks get up off the chair and focus on their new mission.

Hetty just turned and walked to her desk. She picked up the phone and dialled.

She slowly brushed a tear from the corner of her eye as she stared up into space and waited for the line to connect.

Nell just started running and didn't top until she was in the parking lot beside her car. She slide down the side and sat next to the front door and just cried with her head in her hands. Eric soon found her and sat down with her, holding her, crying with her.

"She can't be gone, Eric. She just can't be."  
"They're going to find her, don't worry." What else could he have said?

After a few minutes Callen walked over and knelt down to face them.

"We need you to come back in. Hetty is making the arrangements to get us over there. We're going to find her."

They slowly stood and made there way back inside. It was the beginning of the New Year and it was already off to a very bad start with the possibility of getting much worse.

* * *

**Please review and thanks for reading this. **


	2. Chapter 2

**The Little Red Tattoo **

Chapter 2

Istanbul, Turkey – September 24, 2017

The Red Scorpion had all the documents in place and was boarding a flight to London, England. She was going to stop there for two days and change her alias for the trip to Canada. The plan was simple; fly to Vancouver pick-up a car and drive over the border to the US. Then drive down the coast to her destination. Along the way she would collect the weapons and equipment required to complete the hit. This was a very dangerous operation since moving around on US soil was not as easy as you would think. But she was ready and the plan was good and was meticulously in its details.

Upon arriving in Vancouver she picked up her wheels – 2017 Ford Mustang GT 5.0 Red convertible and headed for Blaine, Washington to cross the border. The alias she would be travelling under was Helen Stamulus, a Canadian business woman heading to LA for a conference and a little vacation. The drive would take about three days, winding along the coast down highways 5 and then the 101, seeing the sights and enjoying the view of the ocean. Funny but she had a strange affinity toward the water and the waves and she couldn't shake it.

She drove for about four hours and decided to stop at a little town on the coast to rest for the night. Grabbing something to eat she sat in the hotel room and began to review the file on the target. This was a different approach than she usually took. The standard methodology to the assignment was simple. The target was presented without name or background information. The location of the hit was provided along with the method to be used. The mission was carried out and then she would lay low for a couple of months getting ready for the next target. She had taken out high profile people in Cyprus, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. The reasons for the missions were never given and she never asked. She was well trained to do what she did and was paid very well to it. Her handler took care of all the details and left her to do the job that needed to be done.

But since this particular target had stimulated something within her, the need to know more was to be satisfied. The file was not very thick so she began slowly to go over the information provided.

Looking at the picture again she moved on to the data:

Name: Henrietta Lange

Current Status: Retired – Former NCIS OSP – Operations Manager

Residence: Los Angeles, California, USA

The file went on to list the numerous other achievements and career highlights. It all seemed very interesting but nothing in the file indicated a possible connection with her. The time lines were all wrong.

_So what is it about you? Why are you so important that they sent me to hunt you down and kill you? You must have really pissed off someone high up. Guess it sucks to be you 'cause you're already dead and you don't even know it._

Putting the file away and turning off the light, she slide into bed and waited for sleep. First thing tomorrow she was going to contact the man providing her with the weapons she had ordered. It was to be another long day of driving but at least the ocean would be a beautiful distraction.

* * *

Los Angeles, January 7 2014

They landed in Afghanistan and headed for the base CO to advise him they had arrived and for any news regarding Kensi and Granger. The flight had been a long one. Hetty had made one call and had them in the air within an hour. The second call was to the base CO who was given the coordinates they had received and filled in on what had happened. Deeks, Sam and Callen had collected the gear they needed and were in the air working on a plan. It was a rescue mission, plain and simple, until they found proof to the contrary. At this point nothing was certain or confirmed.

Deeks didn't say word the entire flight. He held Kensi' knife in one hand while staring straight ahead, focused on a small spot on the fuselage of the C-130 Hercules.

His mind was out of control, spinning, falling and attempting to rationalize what had just happened.

_She can't be gone, she just can't. We were finally together and we were going to make it work. I promised to be patient with her. I promised I wouldn't get myself killed. Why didn't I make her promise me? We're going…no, I'm going to find her and bring her back. Then we are just going to hang out together, drive around, maybe get some ice cream, whatever we want to do. Yes, the possibilities are going to be endless. She disserves this, I disserve this, hell, we both disserve this chance to be happy. We were supposed to have all the time in the world. We were to have our 'thing', so she is going to be fine, she had to be._

Sam and G stayed busy going over maps of the rescue area and known insurgent movements over the past couple of days. They checked on Deeks every few minutes making sure he was still ok. They eventually noticed that his body had become very tense and the look in his eyes had turned stone cold.

G nodded to Sam and they both knew that if the worst case scenario was true, then Deeks was going to need a lot of help to survive the ordeal and the aftermath that followed.

They stood before the base CO, a one Major Webster, a short stocky man with what seemed alike a lot of miles on his face. He looked tired, as if the entire weight of the world was resting on his shoulders. He motioned that they sit but all three declined, they wanted to get going so the sooner the briefing was compete the better.

"Gentlemen, can I offer you anything? Water, coffee?"

They all raised a hand indicating they were good.

"Right. We sent a team to the coordinates you gave us and found Granger badly wounded. He was stabilized and then transported to our Military Hospital. From what I have been told he is going to make it."  
"That's good news, what about Agent Blye?" Callen was asking the question they all wanted the answer to.

"Well, somewhat good news there as well. Both Blye and Sabatino are still missing. We are expanding our search radius and the locals are being questioned."

"Really, how the hell is that good news? Am I missing something here guys?"

Deeks was looking at G and Sam for input, but none came.

"If that's your idea of good news, please never give me the bad news. I'm not sure I could take it."

"The reason I deem it to be a positive is that the last sniper we sent to hunt down the White Ghost was found decapitated. Actually, we only found the body. The head was never recovered."  
"Good God almighty." Deeks went white and turned away from the Major. He felt like he was going to vomit right then and there.

Callen wiped his face with both hands and stared at Sam who had become stoic.

"Gentlemen, the fact that no bodies were recovered indicates that both Blye and Sabatino are considered to be of value. If they weren't, we would be loading their headless bodies on the next plane home."

They each looked at one another letting the words sink in. It was still a rescue mission and that was the upside, if you could call it that.

"What's the plan Major? We need to get moving, we are losing daylight." Sam broke the silence.

"You will travel with my men to the location of the ambush and start there. What ever you need, just ask and we will do our best to accommodate. Stay on comms and don't wander off alone. This is a very hostile environment in many ways. I don't want to start a second rescue mission. Are we clear?"

"Yes Major." Callen replied for all of them.

They grabbed their jackets and gear and headed to their bunks. They were to move out in an hour, which was exactly fifty-nine minutes too long for Deeks. But he needed to stay focused and remember he was a guest here. He was still LAPD like it or not and Hetty pulled every string she needed to just to get him over there.

"G, I want to stay in Kensi' room. Can you arrange that?"

"Don't see why that would be an issue. But are you sure you can handle that?"

"I need to handle it. It's the only way I'm getting through this."

He found her room and stood at the door way just looking in. His hesitation was two fold; first it was still her room so he wanted to be respectful of that and second it was her room. The images he was experiencing at this moment were intoxicating. So entering slowly he noticed her clothes piled on top of the bed, typical Kensi décor. Her gear bag was sticking out from under the bed. Once he was in he closed the door behind him and just sat on the bed. He moved the pillow and found her cell phone. Hitting the button it turned on to the last photo she was looking at before she left that day. His heart started pounding harder and he caught his breath as he looked at the photo of him with his left arm around Kensi' shoulders. They were set between Callen and Sam and they were all happy and smiling. Scrolling through he watched all the pictures she had been looking at the last time she used her phone. It cut him to the core. He had to find her, alive. There were no other options.

To pass the time he began to move her clothes off the bed, folded them and replaced them next to her pillow. He pulled out the additional items he needed from his bag and then placed it under the bed next to hers. The phone he returned to its original place under the pillow. He took a deep breath and one last look around and then left the room. His hand always seemed to find its way to Kensi' knife, touching the handle had become his grounding rod as of late.

Reuniting with Sam and Callen they made their way to the meeting area to be taken out into the desert to view the site.

The ride was long and bumpy and put a serious pounding on Deeks' kidneys. Once they arrived at the location, Deeks immediately found a spot to take care of his business. Nature wasn't just calling, it was screaming at him so he really had no choice.

"Sam, can you figure out why Kensi and Granger would take this position to hold off the terrorists. Deeks, when you're done, can you check the top of that hill for shell casings. Something is off about this whole dynamic." Callen could sense that this was a set-up from the start. The entire scene didn't look right. It was as if they were funnelled into this spot. If they were, how and who was involved?

Deeks made his way up the hill but stopped at the spot Kensi was taken. Parts of the phone still lay scattered on the dirt. There was blood on the rocks and on the ground. They had already taken samples and sent them off for verification. But why was she here when Granger was over there? Staring at the rocks he pictured her face as she spoke her last words to him, when she told him she loved him, with everyone listening. It was the bravest thing she had ever done and she did it for him.

Sam was behind him now and stood there with him just looking at the rocks.

"She was hit. That was the only way they were going to take her"

'I know Sam. Question is how bad?" With that Deeks kept moving up the hill to the top.

They spent the day collecting data on sight lines, angles, casing locations and the location of the ambush relative to the surrounding terrain. The more they compiled their information the clearer it became that this was orchestrated to try and take them not kill them. They wanted them alive, except for Granger.

"The question now is why? Are they setting up a prisoner exchange? Is it going to be a demand for money?" Callen was walking towards the vehicles for the ride back to camp. They needed to get all this data to Eric and Nell and the sooner the better.

The next five days were spent scouring the hills in every direction for any possible trace or clue that would indicate the direction taken by the abductors, but none was found. The blood samples confirmed that it was Kensi.

No ransom was requested, no contact of any type was received. They had vanished from that rock pile. They could still be in Afghanistan or they could be in Pakistan, there was no way to know where they were.

With no other choice available to her, Hetty recalled the agents.

"We can't go now, we still haven't found her." Deeks was pleading his case to Sam, Callen and Hetty over the speaker phone.

"We haven't accomplished our mission. We just can't leave her here. This is Kensi. She is one of us. She's the best one of us." All rational thought had left his mind. He was running on very little sleep and a ton of emotion. He knew he had to go home but he just couldn't bring himself to acknowledge that fact.

"Mr. Deeks please understand we have done all that we can for now. We will continue to work to find her but you must come back for now. Should you need to return we will make those arrangements at that time."

"Hetty please let me stay. Sam and Callen can go back but I need to be here."

"Deeks, we have done everything we could here, time to go. We will be more effective back in LA than here running around the countryside looking at the rock and hills." Callen needed Deeks to understand and override his emotions.

"Fine. When do we leave. I need to pack Kensi' stuff."

"Wheels up in sixty Deeks."

Running his hand through his hair and down his neck, Deeks slowly walked back to her room. First he packed his clothes and then he started with hers.

He pulled out her duffel bag and emptied if first before starting to place her things inside. What fell out last was a sealed envelope with "Marty Deeks" written on the front in Kensi' handwriting. He picked it up and looked at, turning it over and over. He sat down on the bed and closed his eyes holding the letter in his hands.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly tore the envelope open.

He unfolded the paper and began to read.

_Dear Marty,_

_If you're reading this then things did not go well for me during my mission._

_Whatever happened here, know that I will always be with you, right there beside you._

_If you love me the way I love you then you will know what I mean._

_I want you to be happy. Promise me that you will at least try. There is someone out there for you. A very wise lady once told me that sometimes you find them and sometimes they find you. So keep your eyes and your heart open and don't stop looking._

_When you see my mom, please give her my dad's medal and spare her any details about my mission. She may need your help to sort this out, so please be there for her._

_I want you to keep my dad's knife. I know you will care for it the way I did._

_For Callen, Sam, Nell and Eric tell them not to miss me, just remember me._

_Please convince Hetty that this was not her fault, it was my job and I knew what that meant. _

_Give Monty one great big hug for me._

_You always made me laugh; you have the ability to that with people, especially with kids, so don't deny yourself that._

_I would have loved to raise those little mutant ninja assassins with you but….._

_Take care of yourself and know that I didn't leave you, that I would have fought with every ounce of my being to stay here with you. _

_Know that you are everything to me and what I wanted the most in the world. Always remember that._

_You are a good man Marty Deeks, I know because you made me a better person by just being with you. You taught me to trust again, to feel again and to love again. Not an easy thing to do with me, as you well know._

_I need to say good-bye now because I'm crying like a baby and staining this letter._

_Remember me and use me to make yourself stronger. You must move forward Marty, don't make me the reason to quit on life that is not how you honour me. That was not how I honoured my father._

_I Love You. _

_I always will._

_I should have told you face to face and should have said it a million times. I'm sorry I didn't and that is my only regret._

_I Love You. _

_I will Love You always._

_Be good._

_Kensi (Fern)_

Tears were running down his face, he couldn't stop them, it was impossible.

* * *

**So there is Chapter 2 - Thanks for the great reviews, please keep them coming.**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Little Red Tattoo **

Chapter 3

California – September 28, 2017 

The drive along the coast was becoming quite enjoyable. Too bad she couldn't spend more time here, she found California very relaxing and refreshingly different from her usual hit locations. Nice as it was she had a job to do and that meant someone was going to die. That's just the way it was.

It was time to contact her handler and confirm the mission was still a go.

Dialling the number on her satellite phone, she waited for the connection.

On the other end Sabatino picked up on the first ring.

"Everything still on schedule?"  
"Yes it is. Can I ask you why this target?"  
"Let's just say it was a special request from a friend. This one is very personal and he requested you specifically. This is a statement he needs to make."  
"Fine, as long as the money is secure."  
"Have I ever let you down before?"

"No you have been good to me so far, let's keep it that way."

"All business, all the time. You never change. One day you and I need to go out for a drink and a little fun."

"I told you, I don't drink. It gives me headaches. Anything else?"

"Don't miss."

She rolled her eyes and ended the call.

_Me. Miss. Really? Is he going soft in the head? _She thought.

_That drink is never going to happen either. From the first time I met him, he's been trying to get into my pants. _

_Actually, that's not true. He was very good to me when I was recovering. He did help me with my memory loss. Whatever, he's still not getting in there. _

She needed to procure the weapons for the hit. So LA was the next stop.

* * *

Sabatino was sitting in his office in Istanbul having a beer and thinking about the phone call he just had. _Life is good, yes it is, very good. _He thought to himself and smiled.

He was going by Nick Boatsina now. With a little a nip here a tuck there along with coloring his hair and his transformation was complete. New papers and documentation allowed him to move around Europe and the Middle East without issue. He purposely stayed out of the USA, no need to tempt fate. His CIA training and contacts had served him well and he had made the most of it. His _Pièce de résistance_ was turning the NCIS agent into one of the best assassins on this side of the world. It was really dumb luck but he would take it and call it his own. Not only has it made him a lot of money, but the power he now has, has gained him access into the inner circles of many of the worlds corrupt governments.

He leaned back, took another sip of beer and thought about the events that turned one of the best NCIS agents into his own personal killing machine.

Yes, he remembers that day over three years ago very well;

_The plan was working to perfection. The false intel he had provided had lured both Granger and Blye into the perfect spot for the ambush. The idea was to kill Blye and capture Granger and then torture him for his knowledge. However not everything goes as planned. _

_He had managed to split up Granger and Blye, lucky they still trusted him at that time, so they went along with it. But the members of his team became impatient and opened fire too soon. Granger was hit and it looked bad. He would not have made the trip to the border of Pakistan. So they decided to leave him behind to bleed out in the desert._

_Kensi' injury was different. She had taken one in the leg and one to the head, but it was not lethal. The bullet had fragmented going through her helmet and lodged inside her skull. She was unconscious but the bleeding was controllable and she could be transported. The problem he had was convincing the rest of the team she had value and worth saving. It took a serious bit of talking, but he did it._

Taking another drink from the bottle and smiling, he recalled the next few months after they moved her into Pakistan.

_When they arrived at the compound a doctor examined her and repaired the leg but he couldn't do anything about the head wound. The bullet fragment was too deep to dig out without causing permanent brain damage or killing her. They decided it was best to leave it were it was. Scar tissue would form around it and since there was no infection, the fragment stayed. They monitored her closely and waited for her to come out of the coma. Within several days she was a wake and seemingly fine. When questioned, they discovered she was suffering from a form of retrograde amnesia. Sabatino quickly decided that if she didn't have memories to draw from he would provide them to her. He would build her from the ground up, with a little help from several mind altering drugs used by the CIA. He still had access to these drugs and in the right doses at the right times, he could have her remember what ever he wanted, to a point. So the work began with daily doses of drugs followed by intense mind re-programming techniques._

_The CIA training was finally paying off and it was for a more personal reason. Too bad it was on someone he actually liked. But business was business._

_He had his people work on her, always remaining in the shadows so she couldn't see him. He didn't want to trigger a memory so he waited until the treatment was complete before he introduced himself._

_Some days they needed to break her down to nothing but a sobbing bag of bones, keeping her from sleep and feeding her very little. Yelling at her, slapping her to keep her awake and focused._

_Other days they treated her like a real human being, actually allowing her to take a shower, sleep and eat properly. Soon she had no idea what was coming next so she learned to do what they wanted, when they wanted it and everything would be fine. _

_One problem did arise; she became prone to headaches that became almost debilitating. Through a series of trial and errors with various narcotics they found one that helped with the pain and did not react with the other drugs being pumped into her system. This cocktail kept her functioning and controllable all at the same time. It helped that she soon believed everything being drilled into her. So as long as the pills kept her balanced she worked hard to get into shape, develop muscles and hone her abilities to kill. Her skill with guns, knives, explosives and hand to hand combat became second to none. She could easily take on any of the men and soon learned to become vicious and ruthless, never showing any compassion. _

_When the time came to meet the new and improved Kensi Blye, actually it was now Sofia Bezarra, he walked into her room to find her playing with an Indian Red Scorpion. She was letting it walk along her arm, almost darning it to sting her. Sabatino watched in silence and it was then he realized how much she had changed and how cold she had become. _

_The tattoo of the red scorpion was his idea and it seemed fitting. He needed to give her a code name and Red Scorpion was going to be it. She soon came to love the meaning of it and how she could relate to the animal. Once the tattoo was done, her transformation was complete. _

_He became her handler and controlled the money, the missions they took and all the details including the documents and travel arrangements. They never travelled together, too risky and she would not allow it. _

_When he said that she turned cold what he meant was she was approaching Nuclear Winter cold. Her memory was gone but so was her heart and her eyes had turned cold. She could slit your throat, watch you bleed out on the floor and then go wash her hands and sit down to eat lunch with the same knife. Not really what he was hoping for, but you get what you get when you try and re-build someone's mind with drugs and torture._

Sabatino stood up and walked over to the window looking out onto the street finishing his thought. He put the empty beer bottle into the trash. Reaching for the bottle of Cognac, he poured himself a snifter and continued to look out the window. Fun as it was, everything must come to an end. It was a shame he was going to lose a very good operative and one hell of a money maker, but he was being paid a very large sum of money to take out Lange and then Blye. His motto was "business is business", plain and simple.

No loose ends, Kensi would be dead so no way any of this was coming back to him, all and all it was a nice way to retire. He would take the money she had been hoarding from her completed missions, add it to his nest egg and he would be set for life.

She trusted him implicitly, making this too easy. As a smile grew across his face, he drained the glass of its amber liquid thinking once again, _Life is good, yes it is, very good._

* * *

Los Angeles, January 7, 2015

It was his birthday and one year ago today he was half way around the world looking for the one person he cares about the most in his life. He didn't find her and he still hasn't. For the last year the entire team monitored every bit of information that came out of Afghanistan and the surrounding countries and still nothing. Kensi had disappeared completely. No chatter on any of the networks, nothing, nothing, nothing. How was that even possible? Was she really dead?

Her official status was MIA and the search for Kensi slowed down over the months. Deeks was finally assigned a new partner and the team moved forward but it just wasn't the same. All the banter was gone. Deeks definitely wasn't the same in any way, how could he be. Callen and Sam basically did their jobs everyday but they too didn't share the same affinity with the work or the rest of the team. They all had lost agents before, they all had seen death and suffered under its grip, but this was different, this was Kensi and she wasn't just family she was so much more to them.

Her apartment was eventually let go and Deeks took care of all the contents. Her status at OPS was terminated, no matter how much Deeks and the rest of the team protested to Hetty, it had to be done.

Granger had made a full recovery and still monitored the case but the trail had grown cold so he too moved on working on other cases and missions.

It was eight in the morning and Deeks was in early cleaning up a few items, he looked over at the desk that once belonged to his partner, a beautiful brunette with mismatched eyes and a smile that could steal your heart. At that moment he decided that he couldn't do this anymore. In order to survive he needed to move on. Being surrounded all day, everyday by things that constantly reminded him of Kensi was now unbearable.

So he pushed his chair back, stood up and walked right over to Hetty.

"Can I come in?"

"Please do Mr. Deeks. What is on your mind?"

"I am resigning my position as LAPD Liaison with NCIS. I just can't be here any longer, Hetty. I'm sorry."

"I see. Have you informed LAPD of your decision?"

"No, not yet. I wanted to tell you and then the rest of the team first before I did anything else."

Deeks was working hard to hold those tears at bay but it was becoming increasing more and more difficult with every word he spoke.

Looking up at her Deeks noticed an expression on her face he had rarely seen. She was emotional and she couldn't or wouldn't hide it.

"She meant,… means too much to me, Hetty. I just can't be here day in and day out and not think about her all the time. I can't function any more at the level you need me to. My new partner is great, but I don't want to be the one responsible for her getting hurt because I was focused on someone… something else. I really couldn't live with myself."

"Yes I know Mr. Deeks. You must do what feels right. If this is your final decision I must say it has been a real pleasure and an honour working with you. I am truly sorry about Kensi. Maybe one day we will be able to find closure. One day soon I hope. Will you be telling the others today?"

"Yes, I'm going to do that now. I have a few active cases I will turn over and then I'm leaving. I still have all of Kensi' stuff from her apartment, at my place and I want to go through it and then put it in storage. "

Standing she walked around her desk and embraced Deeks. He was taken aback for a moment but he returned the sentiment.

"If you ever need anything Marty, please do not hesitate to call me. You have my numbers. Now go and tell the team and don't be a stranger, you can always stop by and say hello."

"Thank you Hetty for everything you have done for me and for Kensi."

Clenching his teeth to help hold back the tears he turned and walked back to the bullpen to tell the others.

Nell and Eric were coming down the stairs when she looked at Deeks she knew immediately what was happening. She had sensed something brewing over the last few months but prayed she was wrong.

"Oh my God you are leaving aren't you?" She continued to walk down the stairs toward him.

"Wait… What?" Eric was still trying to get up to speed on what was happening. When he watched as she gave Deeks a big hug, burying her face in his chest, he knew as well the day had come.

"Yeah, it's time I left. I'm not doing anyone any good here the way I am."

"Promise to take care of your self. Kensi always said that you kept your promises."

"Ok, I will be careful, I promise." Deeks was still holding her as he spoke.

Eric made his way down and waited to say good-bye. As he was patting Deeks on the shoulder the other members of the team came walking in and viewed the scene before them.

Deeks' new partner Janet Jones gave Sam and Callen an incredulous look before settling her green eyes on her soon to be ex-partner.

"Something we should know Deeks?" G spoke first but knew what as happening.

"I'm moving back to LAPD." No jokes or smart replies, this wasn't the time.

"Hetty know?" Sam asked.

"Yeah I just spoke to her."  
"Well I hope it wasn't anything I said or did." Janet was serious and a little concerned she didn't meet expectations.

"No not at all, Jones. You are great at what you do. My time here is done, that's all."

She walked over and hugged him, kissing him on the cheek she said "I'm going to miss you, you're a good agent and a good partner."

"I'm not going to kiss you Deeks so don't get excited. But I am going to miss you around here. She's right, you are a good agent. If you ever get sick of LAPD you know where you can come." Callen grabbed his hand and pulled him into a man-hug slapping his back a couple of times.

"What can I say but thanks. You ever need anything you call me, I mean it Deeks, you're a good man, be safe." Sam shook his hand and squeezed his shoulder before backing away and giving Deeks a little space.

"I don't know what to say? I think that's a first. You're my family and this just became way harder than I believed it could be." Deeks was becoming emotional; it felt like what was left of his heart was breaking into a million pieces. First Kensi and now leaving the only real family he had know, was just too much for him.

"I'm…. yeah….well…going to clean my desk out." He was looking around, like he was lost and running his hands through his hair scratching the back of his head. He was frozen where he stood.

Nell took his hand "Come on, I'll help you with your things." She walked him away from the group and to his desk like a mother would lead her five year old child. The others just watched knowing this was the beginning of something they had never experienced before. Both Kensi and Deeks would not be part of the team. A strange new world was upon them. But how good a world would it be?

* * *

**Thank you so much for the great reviews. I'm so glad your enjoying the story. This could go in couple of directions so I'm struggling with it.**

**Please stay tuned, it should be fun.**


	4. Chapter 4

**The Little Red Tattoo **

Chapter 4

Los Angeles, January 7, 2017

It was two years to the day that he had quit NCIS and returned to LAPD and it had been a rough two years. The undercover work was ten times worse than with NCIS. There was no team back-up, never mind the lack of equipment and toys they used. But it was his decision and he had to live with it.

On the upside, Monty was doing well. He had slowed down a little but still loved going to the beach. Funny though, every time they went, for about the first ten minutes or so he would just sit and stare in the direction Kensi would have arrived from when she met them there to watch Deeks surf. It was obvious Monty still missed her.

Deeks missed her as well but it has been three years since she disappeared and not one single lead had ever turned up to help them find her. He finally resigned himself to the fact that Kensi was not coming back.

He had developed the habit of going over and checking on Kensi' mom every four months or so, depending on his undercover work. It was tough at first but it did help him to move on. As for her, she enjoyed the company, sometimes reminiscing about Kensi as a child. It was very cathartic for both of them.

Actually, Julia pushed Deeks to at least go on a date every now and then. So he did, most of them were just one casual evening and then done. A few were the typical one night stand. Those usually happened after exceptionally difficult undercover cases.

Except a few months ago he met someone that deserved a second date. Elizabeth Riggs had blue eyes, was about five foot eight with dirty blonde hair and a beautiful smile. She had a great sense of humour but was a little bit shy around people she didn't know. Elizabeth or Liz as Deeks called her worked for LAPD in the Administration division and had met Deeks by accident when he was called into to review issues with his expense reports.

So they began to see each other a few times a month, nothing serious but steady enough to start the rumour mill at work.

Since today was his birthday, Liz had planned to cook him a wonderful meal, with dessert and she had requested that he bring a bottle or two of red wine. After dinner she was going to ask him to stay over; she wanted to move their relationship up to the next level. They had kissed often and Deeks was always the perfect gentleman, almost to a fault, but they had yet to be intimate, so tonight would be the night, she hoped.

* * *

Deeks parked the car and started walking to the entrance of the NCIS OSP building. Reaching the front door of the building, Deeks took a deep breath, exhaled, put on a smile and pushed the big wooden door open. He was immediately hit with a flood of memories; it was like he never left, reminiscent of coming home after a long trip and wanting to see your family. He walked over to the bullpen and was floored by what he saw. There were four new faces behind the desks and all of them looking at him and wondering if they should shoot him for finding their headquarters.

"Can we help you?" The young man sitting at Kensi' old desk asked.

"Detective Deeks, LAPD. I…I once worked…" But he was cut off by Nell who spotted him and ran over and gave him a big hug.

"Deeks! It's been soooo long, how are you? Come in and sit down."

The four newbie's watched in amazement at how Nell greeted this complete stranger. This was something they had never witnessed before. Looking back and forth at each other they didn't know what to make of this. One of them even whispered "Deeks" to the others as if this man was a walking legend.

She led the way to Hetty's office and took her seat behind the desk. Deeks was beyond confused and just stared at Nell with his mouth slightly open and waited for her to explain.

"Yes there have been a few changes around here since you left."

"Do tell." Was all Deeks could muster raising his eyebrows.

"Well here is the quick version. The riff between Hetty and Granger kept growing. I believe they each blamed the other for Kensi and then for you leaving. About six months ago Granger forced us to undertake a very risky op. Callen tried to talk him out of it but he stood firm. Well your ex-partner Janet, was seriously injured and has since retired from the field. She is currently in Washington behind a desk.

She is doing fine." Answering the unasked question Deeks was thinking.

"Hetty could not handle the possible loss of another agent, especially if Granger was involved, so she retired. Gave her notice and was gone in a week. I started as a temporary replacement and it soon became permanent."

Nell paused and waited for Deeks to say something but he only nodded, still stunned. But she wasn't finished.

"Callen was beyond fed up with the whole situation and asked to be transferred to Red Team. G and Paris Summerskill had become close friends and so he moved to be with her. As far as I know, all is well between them."

"Interesting and I'm happy for him…them." Deeks added.

"With Callen gone, Sam decided to settle down and spend more time with the family, so he took a teaching and training position with the Navy. He loves the work and gets to kick probie butt all day long.

Eric is running Ops up stairs and oh yes, we are engaged."  
She smiled ear to ear and showed Deeks the ring waving her hand in front of his face.

"Wow, guess I should have come by a little sooner. So what's with the fearful foursome out there?"

"They are the new team, a little green but they are getting better. I could use a couple of senior agents to help break them in but you work with what you got.

So tell me what you have been up to."

"Not as exciting as things around here. LAPD has me working undercover almost 24/7 so not a lot of down time. I did make detective third grade and I think I'm in line for another promotion."

"That's great, but how are you? Are you getting out, seeing anyone? I know Kensi would have wanted you to be happy."

He winced every so slightly but she caught it.

"Well I have been seeing someone from work, nothing serious, so relax. She is very nice and we get along, that's the important thing."

"I'm glad you have someone to talk to. We, well mostly you, have been through a lot so it's good you found a friend to spend time with."

"Yeah, I guess your right. Well I came by to say hello to the team but that seems like a bust. I'm going to run up and say hi to Eric if that's alright? I wouldn't want to be taken out before I got there."  
"Don't worry, I got your back Shaggy."  
"Ok Velma, let's do it."

They both laughed a little as she walked over and gave him a hug saying "I'm sending you an invite to the wedding and you're coming. Don't force me to send a couple of agents to get you because I will do it."

"Oh I know you will and don't worry, I will be there with bells on."

"With a date and a nice suit will do fine." She smiled at him, walked him to the stairs and off he went to chat with Eric.

* * *

Deeks arrived at Liz's apartment around eight with a couple of bottles of wine. He was nervous and anxious, not sure where he wanted this to go. He liked her, he really did, but she didn't know anything about his past, at least not the dark moments. His walls were up and she was patiently waiting for him to let her in. However Deeks was in no hurry to open that door for her.

He knocked and she welcomed him in with a deep passionate kiss and a "Happy Birthday Marty." It was always Marty, never Deeks.

Deeks felt the intensity in her kiss and it caught him off guard. "Thank you Liz. I hope you didn't go to any trouble, it's just another day."

"Marty, just relax and enjoy it when someone does something nice for you. No need to feel guilty about having a little fun." She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him trying to get him to unwind. She looked into his eyes and moved in for another kiss. This time it was longer and deeper. She was trying to set the mood for the evening and hoping that he would get the hint.

Deeks knew something was different. Liz was never this open and forward.

The meal was excellent, she could cook and very well too. Dinner conversation was light and amusing covering numerous topics. The first bottle of wine was soon finished and the second was opened. They were just sitting on the couch chatting about work when she took his hand and looked directly into his blue eyes. He knew something was up so he waited.

"I want us to be more than what we are. Marty I really like you. You're kind, funny, and affectionate and I feel great when I'm with you. I'm just not sure how you feel about me."

Not what he was expecting at all. He broke her stare but continued to hold her hand.

"Liz, I like you as well, I really do. You are one of a few people I feel comfortable with, but I have a lot of baggage I drag around with me. There are thing you don't know about me, things that I can't tell you about. At least not yet."  
He looked back up at her and found her looking down at their hands. He didn't want to hurt her in any way, she deserved better.

"Liz, look at me, please."

She looked up and he could see the tears in her eyes ready to spill down her face.

"I have big shoulders. I could help you with all that baggage. If you will let me." Her voice was low and filled with emotion and he knew that she meant it.

Deeks didn't know what to say, Liz was pouring her soul out to him, so he leaned in and kissed her very softly cupping her cheek.

* * *

Los Angeles – September 30, 2017 

The Red Scorpion was sitting on the bed in her hotel room dialling the number of the man she was to meet to pick-up her sniper rifle and the gun required for the mission. She had requested the Cheytac .408 cal rifle complete with a silencer and case. Not an easy order to fill by any means. The rifle was a little big but this is what she needed to do the job right. The explosives were already acquired and hidden away.

A man picked up the line "Hello" he said in a low groggy voice.

"Are we on for two?"  
"Yes. You know the spot?"

"Be ready, I don't have time to waste."  
"Just make sure you have the money."

The line went dead and she dropped the phone on the bed and smiled.

"Oh I have your money alright." She said aloud running her fingers over the knife in her lap.

The timing was good, with five hours before the meeting, she would make her way over to the garage he was working out of and scope the area. LA was new terrain for her and she needed to get her bearings straight.

Dressing in jeans, a loose fitting top, running shoes and a baseball cap she put on her sunglasses and started to make her way over to the garage. Exiting the hotel and turning north she walked at a leisurely pace enjoying the morning sun.

Apparently the Red Scorpion had company on the walk; she had picked up a tail. He was good, very good but she was better and spotted him about fifteen minutes in.

She let me tag along for a while as she figured out how to take him out. There were a few stores up ahead so she saw her opportunity and headed for the coffee shop. If she went out the back she could double back and trap him.

David Rono was basically a gun for hire. He is ex-special forces and enjoyed doing the dirty work for the people that were willing to pay. He was contacted weeks ago regarding a little surveillance work to be done in LA. He was to track a woman around the city and communicate her movements back to the gentleman on the other end of the burn phone he was given. Very easy work for a man of his calibre, but a job that pays this well doesn't come around to often, so he grabbed it. The man on the phone had alluded to the possibility of maybe using explosives but for now it was observe and report only. So here he was following the lady in jeans and baseball hat around the slummier streets of LA. Checking his watch, he decided it was time to call the boss and give him a quick briefing.

He dialled and waited while watching the door of the coffee shop.

"Yes"

"I'm in LA and she is moving around the city."  
"Does she have the weapons yet?" The voice with the German accent asked.

"No. I imagine she is on the way there now."

"Stay on her, you need to ensure that she completes the mission."

"Will do."

Just as he was about to put the phone away he was blindsided. The phone smashed against the ground and he bounced off the wall. From one knee he looked up to see the woman he had been following. He smiled as he pulled the knife out from its leg strap and brandished it slowly in her face. He didn't see her as a real threat, that was his first mistake, taking a lunge at her with the knife was his second mistake. Spinning to her right she stabbed him three times very quickly in the shoulder, back and side. The movements were fast and precise and found all the marks. He dropped to one knee again, bleeding and stunned but still holding his knife. She walked around him, like an animal stocking it prey, cold eyes staring down at her target locating the next point of her attack. He spun around quickly trying to catch her off guard but she side stepped him driving the blade of her knife into the side of his throat. He went down for the last time.

She dragged his body over to a garbage bin and dumped him in.

The questions now bouncing around in her head were who and why? What bothered her was the fact he was following her. How did he know she was in LA? How did he find her in the first place?

Going back she found the phone but it was destroyed. She pulled the data card out of the unit and put it in her pocket. She would try and access it for information later.

There was a thrift store two doors up the street from the alley, so she went in and picked up a change of clothes, ditching the blood stained ones she was currently wearing.

Hat and glasses back on she continued on to the meeting place to finish the surveillance work she started.

Twenty minutes later she was approaching the intersection just south of the building housing the garage. Continuing through the intersection, she quickly glanced down the road. It was empty of cars but there was a homeless man and his dog at the near end of the street. The dog was lying on the sidewalk and the man was sitting with his back toward her.

She would double back and enter the street with the garage from the opposite side, walking by the unit to check it out. So far the setting was perfect expect for that homeless guy and the mutt. She couldn't leave any witnesses, it wasn't her style. When she picked up her gun and silencer she would walk by and end their misery. Too bad really, the dog was kind of cute. Maybe she would spare the dog, then again maybe not. The dog should be with his master, but something about that mutt had her second guessing herself.

* * *

Deeks was trying to set-up a small time arms dealer that seemed to be able to get his hands on some pretty serious weapons. Posing as buyer, Deeks had placed an order for a case of automatic rifles to see how the deal would go down. Deeks also needed to see what type of clientele this guy was servicing so he decided to stake out the garage. It was a nice morning in LA, the sun was shining and Deeks and Monty were undercover as a homeless man and his dog. Sitting on the corner up the street from the garage he had a section of cardboard on the ground and a large coffee cup set in front of Monty to catch the coins from any passersby. The morning was progressing slowly, very few people moving along this section of the street.

On the opposite side of the road he noticed a single figure walking toward him and Monty. As she approached with her head down and hands tucked into her jeans, Deeks began to take notice and slowly started to stand. Monty was way ahead of him locking on her and following her every step. The closer she got the more Monty reacted.

The dog was now standing and had taken a step toward the curb ready to cross the street.

"Monty, stay. Don't blow our cover, boy." Deeks half whispered.

As she reached the exact point on the sidewalk that was directly across from Deeks and Monty, she turned her head and looked directly at them. A wicked grin grew on her face as she stared them down. Deeks was in shock, it couldn't be. It just wasn't possible. Monty was whining and whimpering at her, stepping in place like the pavement was too hot for his paws and wagging his tail. He so desperately wanted to run over to the lady, looking back at Deeks and then at her again, over and over, but Monty stayed put as Deeks hadn't release him. She rounded the corner and disappeared. By the time Deeks recovered it was too late, she was gone.

* * *

**Thanks everyone for the encouraging reviews. You guys are great. I'm really having fun writing this one and I hope I can keep all of you interested.**


	5. Chapter 5

**The Little Red Tattoo **

Chapter 5

Los Angeles – September 30, 2017 

Nell was having one of those days, it was Saturday and she was trying to do fifty things at once. The wedding, a very modest affair, was in a few weeks and she was scrambling to make sure all the little details were taken care of.

Hetty had offered her beautiful estate to the couple and agreed to pay for the catering as her special gift to Eric and Nell, but there was a ton of other things that needed doing.

Their families were flying in from all over the States so hotel rooms needed to be booked, the music was still to be selected, flower arrangements to finalize, on and on it went. She was drowning in it.

Eric was sort of helping out, basically he was trying to stay out of her way and running the odd errand for Nell. He almost went surfing that morning but he thought better of it.

The last thing Nell needed today was s frantic call from Deeks. She was certain he had lost his mind or suffered a stroke, probably both the way he was talking.

"Nell, I saw her, she's here in LA. I saw her. I swear to God, right there across the street from me. She looked right at me, me and Monty. She smiled, I think, a strange smile, yea come to think of it, a really strange smile. Weird, huh? Anyway, yea Monty saw her too. He was barking and wagging his tail, going crazy. I swear, I swear it was her. I'm not crazy, really I'm not. I would never make up something like this, never. Nell, Nell, are you still there?"

"Yes I'm still here. Deeks, take a breath. Who are you talking about? You sound deranged."

"Kensi. Who did you think I was talking about?" He said it almost non-chalantly.

"Kensi! Oh my God, are you sure, I mean one hundred percent sure? Not your kind-of-sure but 'The sun was in my eyes' or 'I'm still hung over from the night before so I think I saw her?' Right, you're absolutely certain Deeks."

"Nell, I know Kensi, I would know her anywhere. It… Was… Her. But like as dummy I didn't move fast enough to catch her. You need to track her fast. Get on Kaleidoscope, the facial recognition program, whatever you guys do or use, but you need to do it now."

He knew he was rambling, so he took a breath and calmed right down and he spoke slower. "Please Nell, I'm begging you. Please help me find her. I know it was her."

"Ok Deeks, I'll get Eric and we will go in and personally start the search. Meet us there as soon as possible. If you are right, I'm calling Sam and Callen in to look for her."

"Thanks Nell, I really mean it. Thank you." Deeks was coming down off his high and beginning to focus. He needed to clear his head and start thinking like a cop. All types of questions were spinning around in his head and he had to sort them out and try and make some sense of this.

He headed home to change and drop off Monty. Deeks was so preoccupied with thinking about Kensi that he missed the freeway exit to his place and ended up going twenty minutes out of his way. When he finally made it home he ran into the apartment, showering fast to remove the smell from the clothes he was wearing, it was a little too much to take into OSP. He wanted Nell and Eric to help him find Kensi not run from the room gagging.

Just before he stepped out the door Deeks knelt down and scratched Monty behind the ears and said "We are going to find her boy, don't you worry. This time she's on my turf and we are going to bring her home."

Monty must have understood completely because he was waging his tail and even licked Deeks' face. "Ok enough, I need to go." Deeks opened the door and sprinted to the car.

The way the police detective weaved through traffic with surgical precision was epic. Arriving at OSP in record time, he leaped from the car and ran into the building and up the stairs. Nell and Eric were already there and waiting for Deeks.

"We started to run the facial recognition program for LAX and then we are going to expand the search area, spiralling out from LA." Nell was typing and completely focused.

She was the Operations Manager but she still could run the systems just as well as anyone.

You have to hand it to them; they didn't waste any time getting to work. Deeks gave them the intersection where he saw Kensi and they began to check for cameras in the area.

"Where has she been for all these years? Why come back now and not call anyone? Are you sure she knew it was you Deeks? Maybe Kensi didn't recognise you in your homeless outfit?" Nell was thinking out loud and Deeks was just staring at the screen.

"I don't know Nell. Kensi would never forget Monty, even if she didn't know it was me. I've been running all these questions and more through my mind since I saw her. Nothing makes sense now, but I know it was her."

"Deeks, there is nothing close enough to get a look at anyone." Eric was working the camera but it was in a section of the city that had the units spread out wide.

"She must have come from one of the streets around the area. Expand the search range for the cameras." Deeks was becoming agitated. He thought they would find her fast and then be able to determine where she was staying.

After about four hours with nothing solid to go on, the techno twins were ready to call it a day.

"Guys I know it was Kensi, I wouldn't make this up. We can't stop now."  
"Deeks, come on, we checked and double checked every camera in the area from every angle we can generate. If it was her and I'm not saying it wasn't, but if we can't locate her, we can't track her. Look, the facial recognition will keep running even if we aren't here to watch it. Let's take a break, get something to eat and then hit this with fresh eyes."

Eric was right, they needed to re-group and then look at this again, but Deeks was not giving up so quickly.

"Guys, go do what you need to do. Just show me how to work the program for the street cameras. I'm going to keep looking. I know it was her and I'm going to find her."

"Ok, come downstairs to the other computer. You can set you up there and it will do the job. If you get stuck call us." Nell was already moving toward the door to get the detective setup. What she was about to allow was totally against every protocol in the NCIS book but these were extremely special circumstances.

"So you got it? You should be able to move around the city as you like. We will see you later." Eric was done showing Deeks how the system worked and headed out with Nell.

After about an hour of flipping camera locations and staring at hundreds of people on the streets, Deeks had become frustrated and angry. He got up off the chair and walked around the room to clear his head. He wasn't going crazy. He saw her, it was Kensi. Exhaling loudly and with a new resolve he sat down again and clicked the screen into action. He had expanded the search radius even wider and then there she was. It wasn't a full on head shot but the hat and sunglasses were a match. He noted the location and started to guess which direction Kensi could be going. Several attempts later and then another hit, not as clear as the first but enough for Deeks to get excited. With the last spotting he was able to confirm that she was going into a coffee shop. You could just see the top of the hat, but it fit with every other sighting.

He typed the address into his phone and he was out the door and heading directly for it. The plan was to stake out the coffee shop and surrounding area. Hopefully she would return and he would talk to her and get the answers to the questions that keep bouncing around in his head.

* * *

Nell and Eric returned to OSP and Deeks was no where to be found. They sat down and checked the recent camera locations he had visited during his search. Looking at all the same photos he had they didn't really see anything worth pursuing. But Nell knew Deeks and he just wouldn't give up and leave. So she dialled his number.

"Deeks, is everything alright? Where are you?"

"Thought I saw someone or something I recognized so I headed out to look around the area. It's a long shot at best, but I need to try."  
"Ok, anything we can do at our end?"

"No, I'm good for now. If this pans out I'll call you. Thanks Nell for all your help. Sorry I ruined your Saturday. I owe you and Eric one. "

"No worries Deeks, call me tomorrow and give me an update."  
"Will do."

Deeks walked into the coffee shop and looked around noting all the customers in the place. Ordering a coffee he stepped back into the street, scanning the sidewalk on both sides looking for a strategic place to sit and watch. This was probably a waste of time, but if she was in the area, this could be the coffee shop she likes to frequent. It was worth a shot, better than sitting around the apartment doing nothing.

* * *

Kensi was lying in her bed, completely naked, with sweat running down her face and covering her completely. With the color of her skin as a back drop, her body glistened from the beads of water resting gently on her. The next few hours were going to be bad as a severe headache was coming on strong and the pills were no longer working like they once did. The pain was unbearable, at times coming in strong waves. It felt like her head was actually going to split open any second. The scar on the side of her head was hot and painful as well. It had been bothering her more and more lately, but today was the worse it had ever been.

She finally fell asleep after taking a second pill, something she was not suppose to do. Within minutes of falling a sleep the nightmare began. It was the same one she has every time one of these massive headaches overwhelmed her.

Waking up screaming, with her heart pounding she jumped out of bed and ran into the washroom to throw-up. She knew better than to take two pills, but what was done is done. Turning on the shower she stepped in and let the cool water wash over her. Fresh air was what she needed now, so getting dressed the Red Scorpion stepped out for a walk.

These pills threw her off her game, causing her head to become foggy and slowing down her reactions, so wearing a disguise to conceal her identity didn't even enter her mind.

It was dark and cool outside the hotel and it did help somewhat with the pain. Moving slower than normal as she walked the streets, taking in the sights and sound of LA, she soon found herself in front of the coffee shop from earlier that day.

_That's what I need, some coffee. The caffeine should wake me up. _That idea was clear in her head and so in she went.

* * *

It was early morning in Istanbul and Sabatino was on the phone with Mattias. The conversation was very one sided. Mattias was fuming mad at the latest turn of events in LA.

"I have lost contact with my man in Los Angeles and that can only mean one thing – she has killed him. This mission better not be compromised because the consequences for you would be very grave indeed.

"Mattias calm down. There could be any number of reasons your man is not responding to your calls. I will contact her and find out."  
"You do that. But I suggest you take the next flight to LA. I want you to personally ensure the mission is completed as I have requested. If you must, then do it yourself. The statement must be made as I have directed."

Sabatino just stared at the phone in his hand and shook his head. Why did he send someone to keep tabs on her? Now this could go into the toilet if she thinks something is off or if she's being followed.

One thing Mattias was right about, Nick Boatsina better be on the next flight to LA and finish the job himself if he had to.

* * *

Deeks was done for the day. With the amount of coffee he had ingested he was pretty sure he was pissing straight caffeine. Giving his head a shake and rubbing his eyes he decided to head home, tomorrow the stake-out would resume again, but for now it was time to get some rest. When his eyes re-focused, there she was, not ten feet in front of him buying coffee.

He was frozen on the spot, just looking at Kensi, in total disbelief and not knowing what to do next. The people around him all moved in slow motion, like in the movies and he was in the center of the store just watching the events unfold but not really being part of the action. The moment that he had dreamt about for years was finally here and he didn't know what to do. She had purchased the coffee and then sat down at a small circular table at the back of the shop with her back against the wall. She looked different, her hair color had been changed and cut short, she seemed fit and muscular and her skin was well tanned. She was beautiful and it was Kensi, or her twin sister or one fantastic, unbelievable doppelganger.

He reached for his phone and was going to dial Nell but realized that the battery was dead. He would call her later once he had more information.

Only one way to find out what is going on and that was to go over and talk to her. So willing his legs to move, he made his way to her table.

Sitting down at the chair across from her he said "Hi princess, remember me?"

"No. Who are you and why are you sitting here?" She was a little annoyed at the intrusion. She wanted to sit and clear the fog in her head.

Deeks was looking into her eyes and realized she wasn't joking. Kensi had no knowledge of who he was. What was going on? Deeks needed more information so he was going to play along and find out what he could about this person.

"Really, you don't remember me. All the good times we had together. Gone, not one memory?"

"Again, no. Were we lovers, because if we were, obviously you weren't very good if I don't remember you."

"Touché princess, touché." He replied smiling.

She smiled back and asked, "What's your name? Maybe that will help me." Taking a sip of the coffee as she relaxed and began enjoying the company.

"Deeks and you really don't remember me?"

"Deeks? Sorry I really don't know you, but you're sure we have met before?"

"A long time ago, so what's your name?"

"You said we were lovers and now you don't know my name. Very strange Deeks."

"Ok I actually never said we were lovers, but the last time we were together I called you Kensi."

"Sorry, it's Helen. I'm from Canada and here for a convention." She was starting to like this guy and there was something about him that put her at ease.

"Ok Helen from Canada, what do you do when you're not in LA drinking coffee?"

She tilted her head to the side and just looked at Deeks. She was staring into his eyes and trying to figure out who he was. Reaching out with her hand she brushed his hair off his face. She wasn't sure why she did that, however it felt right doing it.

"You're very good looking. I would have remembered you." A flash of a memory, but it was too fast and too short. She shook her head and brushed it off.

"God your eyes are so blue." Helen was stroked his cheek as she looked at Deeks.

_Ok this definitely isn't Kensi. No way!_ Was the only thought running through his head.

Looking closer he could see she was on something. _If she's on_ _drugs, that would explain part of her behaviour but not the lack of memory. Could she have amnesia? I guess anything is possible. Ok I need to get her checked out by a doctor, but how?_

"Why are you staring at me?"

"Oh sorry, just remembering how beautiful you are. Want to get something to eat?"

"I am hungry, but not for food." The look on her face was one he hadn't seen before.

"What do you have in mind, Ke…sorry, Helen?"

"Why don't you take me home, lover." She said in a low sultry voice.

She leaned across the small table and kissed him slowly, softly, running her fingers through his hair and pulling him to her. The kiss was passionate and he hungered for more as it stirred emotions in Deeks he had buried deep a long time ago.

Helen felt herself craving more and more as the kiss lasted longer and longer.

She pulled back just enough to allow her to slide up to his ear and whispered "If you take me home I promise I will rock your world." Biting his earlobe ever so gently before she sat back down.

Deeks was truly speechless, just looking into her eyes and wondering what just hit him.

"Come on let's go make some new memories. Maybe if you're really good this time I will remember you." Helen winked and stood to leave the coffee shop.

As she was moving toward the door she had a though; _it must be the pills making me feel like this, but I'm definitely enjoying it. _Her head was starting to clear up somewhat but it still wasn't a hundred percent yet.

Deeks couldn't believe what just happened but if she wanted to go to his apartment, it was the perfect place to start dealing with her amnesia. He would be able to contact Nell and get her and Eric over as well.

Jumping out of his seat, he moved quickly to catch-up to her. She was already outside waiting for him with a big smile on her face.

"I was afraid you had changed your mind."

"Not a chance princess. Nothing is going to stop me from taking you home tonight."

She took his hand and they started to walk towards Deeks' car.

This felt good, very good to both of them, maybe a little too good for Helen. She was not one to behave on emotion, but this was different, he was different. She couldn't ignore what she was feeling and the fact that these feelings were intensifying by the minute. Passion, lust, desire, wanting all for this man she had just met.

One thing was certain it was going to be a hell of a night.

* * *

**I've been trying to get this out for a few days but too many things happening.**

**So what do you think? The reviews have been great and they keep me moving.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out, but here it is. Your feed back is always welcome.**

* * *

**The Little Red Tattoo **

Chapter 6

As they walked towards the car they were mostly silent but Deeks could feel something was brewing. She seemed edgy, excited like a child that just couldn't wait to open her presents at Christmas. She kept turning to face him, smiling and rubbing the inside of his arm in anticipation.

The car was parked in a little back alley off the main road. They didn't get more than five feet into the alley when she pulled Deeks forward and pushed him up against the wall next to the car. Grabbing his face with both hands she started kissing him with all the passion she could muster.

"I want you. I really want you, now" She was kissing down his neck and running her hands up under his shirt. Her breath was hot on his skin as she exhaled slowly between kisses.

"Come on Deeks, here, now, please." Her voice was low and sultry, dripping with desire.

"Kens… Helen, easy. Slow down." His breathing was becoming rapid and his heart was pounding. "We have all night, let's get into the car and we can be at my place in no time." That statement took every once of will power Deeks had. All those years apart, all that love and passion bottled up, pushed down deep without hope of ever resurfacing was now about to be let out like a genie from its bottle. The feel of her lips, her hands and breath on his skin was more powerful than any drug. The rush of blood to his head was making him dizzy. His heart rate was through the roof and his vision was becoming blurry.

But she wasn't stopping, undoing his shirt she ran her hands up his bare chest. Moving them to his back, she ran her finger nails down his spine and stopped abruptly when she touched the handle of his gun. In one quick motion, she pulled the gun out, stepped back and pointed the Smith & Wesson directly at Deeks.

"Did they send you here to kill me as well? Is that why you pretended to be someone I knew?"

She started yelling at him "WELL IS IT? I want to know your real name and who sent you before I blow your head off."

Her eyes were like lasers focused on Deeks and the gun was pointed directly at his head. With his hands up in the air he locked eyes with Helen and tried to reason with her.

"Kensi, damn it, Helen, whatever your name is. My real name is Deeks, Marty Deeks and I'm an LAPD Detective. I do know you, or did when you were Kensi Blye. That's who you really are, not Helen from Canada."

"Stop lying, I don't believe you." As she finished the sentence a bolt of pain shot through her head and she flinched but not enough for Deeks to make a move.

"STOP! Don't even think about it." As if reading his mind. "I need information and I'm going to get it. Up to you how much you suffer."

"Listen Kensi, it's the truth, I'm a cop. Here's my badge. Call the precinct and they will verify who I am. Just put the gun down and we can figure this out."

Another winch of pain but this time Deeks made his move. Even with the distraction of her head throbbing in pain Kensi was still faster than he was. She dodged him as he lunged at her and drove her elbow into his back as he went by. Falling to floor in pain Deeks rolled on the pavement and bounced off a brick wall. He slowly pushed his body up the wall, staring into her eyes the whole time. They had grown cold and icy, void of any compassion. She was going to kill him and he knew it.

"Kensi you need to believe me. I'm your friend, I was your partner, and you're not this Helen person."

"SHUT-UP! Just shut-up. I need to think." She was rubbing her head and her voice was becoming louder. Her actions were starting to escalate and the situation had become very volatile. Deeks knew he had to keep her talking, confuse her as much as possible and then make another attempt at getting his gun back.

"Kensi listen to me, I'm not lying. I was your partner and we had something, something special between us. It was our 'Thing'. Try and remember."

"I SAID STOP IT" The pain was becoming too much to handle, she needed to get back to the hotel, get her stuff and then move to the fallback location. She needed another pill to ease this pressure in her head.

"Kensi please believe what I'm telling you. We were together once and we can be again now that you're here. I still love you, I've never stopped."

"God, just shut-up. I can't take this any more. I need to go."

Another strong spasm of pain gripped her and with that she pulled the trigger.

But the gun didn't fire, the manual safety was on. This along with the pain she was experiencing was all Deeks needed to move. Catching her off guard, he drove his shoulder hard into her chest and wrapped his arms around her back as they flew across the sidewalk. She was still looking at the gun, trying to figure out why it didn't fire when she was hit. The gun flew out of her hand, bounced off the pavement and slid under the car. As they hit the asphalt Kensi banged her head hard, but still managed to get her knee up and slam it into Deeks' ribs. His reflex action to grab his side and the pain caused him to release her and roll on the road away from her, creating some space between them. She was on her feet quickly and had already drawn her knife and was battle ready. Deeks had no choice but to defend himself so he too reached for his knife and waited for the inevitable.

Moving slowly around each other in the form of a bizarre dance Deeks noticed blood was coming from her nose.

"Kensi please stop this before we both get hurt. You're already bleeding. I don't want to fight you."

Her eyes were fixed on him and he knew how good she was with a knife, but he couldn't locate his gun so he waited for the attack to come. And attack she did, first with a high kick to the shoulder of the arm holding the knife forcing Deeks to turn sideways, she then followed with two rabbit punches to the nose and jaw, finishing with a slash across his bare chest. This stunned him enough to allow her to kick the knife out of his hand. Deeks was in serous trouble as he was completely unarmed now and bleeding.

She bent over and picked up his knife and was about to throw it aside but thought better of it. Putting her weapon away she took a breath and wiped some of the blood off her face. Looking at the knife in her hand she asked "Where did you get this?"

"Why, does it look familiar?" He needed to trigger at least one memory and maybe this was it.

"I asked you a question." Her voice was almost a rumble as her eyes narrowed and a scowl grew across her face. "Answer me." She hissed at him.

"Someone I loved gave it to me to hold for her, it was her fathers." Deeks was watching her closely. The bleeding had slowed down and she seemed fixated on the knife now more than on him. He saw the opportunity and in a split second he was on her propelling her towards the hood of his car. As they landed on the car she drove the hilt of the knife into the back of his head hoping to slow him down, it did but not enough. She banged the side of her head against the windshield causing her even more pain. Pushing him off her and on to pavement Deeks didn't have enough time to regroup as she slid off the car and kicked him in the jaw with one swift motion. He was out cold. With his knife still in her hand she made her way back to the street. Her head was a mess, between the injuries and all that pain she was now being inundated with a flood of very strange and random images. She needed time and a safe place to recover and sort all this out. She had to get to her room. Everything she needed was there and the fallback site was not too far away. So under cover of night she moved in the direction of the hotel and away from Deeks.

* * *

When Deeks came to he found it very difficult to focus and keep his eyes open. He was being attended to by paramedics, they were talking to someone about blood pressure, heart rate, stabilizing to transport, administering of this drug and who knows what else. It seemed like they were speaking in code. He went to raise his head and was hit with a wave of dizziness and nausea and fell back on the stretcher and blacked out.

The next time he woke up it was in a hospital bed with a severe headache and bandages across his chest. He felt like he had been hit by a truck.

_What the hell is going on? Why am I here? Have I been shot again?_

The last time he was in the hospital it was for a gun shot wound and it was the last time he had a steady girl friend.

Closing his eyes he flashed back to that day in May:

_It had been a typical drug deal gone wrong. He was undercover as a buyer meeting a new distributer selling crystal meth. It was a set-up and he was ambushed as he entered the building. Luckily the bullet hit the briefcase full of money first, saving his life, but not before a couple of hours in surgery to repair the damage it did cause._

_When he awoke there was Liz sitting in a chair next to the bed. She had been crying for quite some time, her make-up was running down her face and she looked like hell. _

_She explained how she couldn't do this any more, the constant worrying, praying that he would return to her safe and sound, not being able to see him or even speak to him for weeks on end when he was undercover, it was all too much for her and she finally broke._

_She told him she loved him but could be with him unless he quit the undercover work. Since he could not do that, their relationship ended that day when she walked out of that hospital room._

Well here he was again, opening his eyes and looking around he saw a figure in a chair next to the bed. This time sitting in that chair was Hetty.

He looked at her a little confused. Someone must have called her from the precinct.

"How are you feeling Mr. Deeks?"

"I've been better. Did you find Kensi?"

"Kensi? No Mr. Deeks, not for sometime." Hetty had already spoken to Nell and knew the situation.

"Hetty she's here in LA. Who do you think did this to me? She has amnesia, doesn't remember who she is or who I am."

"You are certain?"  
"Why does everybody keep asking me that? Yes it was Kensi in body but not in mind. First she tried to have sex with me in the alley and then she tried to kill me. Wait, that sounds weird. But that's what happened."

"Mr. Deeks you have a concussion and.."

Deeks cut her off before she could finish the sentence. "Please just call Nell and tell her to get someone down to the crime scene and test the blood all over the road. The DNA will confirm it's her and that I'm not crazy."  
"Alright, Mr. Deeks I will contact Nell and check out the crime scene myself. I am also going to ask Nell to bring in Sam and call the Red Team to help with the search. If you are correct, we must find her quickly."

"Great, finally we can get moving. She's hurt Hetty and she needs us now."

"Yes she does Mr. Deeks. Now do you feel up to telling what happened and in as much detail as you can remember?"

"Ok Hetty, I can do that."

Drinking some water first he started to recount the events of that day to Hetty.

* * *

Kensi woke up in a small rundown motel and looked around her room. This wasn't the planned fallback location but she felt safer being off the grid given what happened. If someone was trying to kill her, she needed to stay hidden until she was ready to act. The mission was still a go but it just got a extremely complicated.

Her sleep was intermittent and restless and it produced a strange set of dreams for her.

They were disjointed images of a little girl playing, a military man first playing with the little girl and then with his military unit, an old leather bound book or log filled with letters and maps, a family enjoying the summer days in their yard, all of them happy and laughing. None of the images were connected to the other or flowed into the next. It was like watching a series of snapshots from numerous events flashing before your eyes. The most vivid image was that of the knife and the man in uniform and it was obvious that the knife was his.

She lay in the bed looking up at the ceiling thinking of everything that had happened last night. The pain in her head, the encounter with this guy named Deeks and the knife all came together like the perfect storm and descended upon her to turn her world upside down. One thought kept running through her mind; _was he telling the truth?_

Now she wanted answers but how will she know what the truth is and who could she trust?

Nick had always been there for her, at least as far back as she could remember, but now she wasn't sure. Why can't she remember her past clearly? She knows all the stories Nick had told her and believed them to be true, but she has no real memory of them, just flashes, actually more like hallucinations. They were no where near as clear as the dreams she had last night.

How was she connected to the knife? It seems to be the key but what was it going to unlock? Did she really want to know?

Deeks had the knife and his words still rang in her head; _"it was her father's."_

She needed to find Deeks and get some answers from him, but she wasn't about to walk into a police station and ask to see him. So he was going to find her, with a little help.

She needed food and that was her first priority. Picking up a new phone was next. The pain was still there but dull, not as intense as last night, but still something to be dealt with. The bump on side of her head from the windshield was just below the scar and that hurt just to touch it. One thing she wasn't going to do any more was take those pills. Her mind needed to be clear, pain or no pain.

* * *

Nick Bostsina landed at LAX late Sunday afternoon and picked up his rental car. He dialled the number for the Red Scorpion again but still no answer. This was cause for concern and it unsettled him.

_This is the last thing I need. To be in this country again and looking for a rogue assassin. Now I gotta kill the stupid bitch my self. One thing for sure, she's not going to see it coming from me. Hopefully I have a few days before they figure out I'm here. Just enough time to get it done and out of here. _

He knew what hotel she was staying at and what her next move was so he headed in that direction. With a little luck he would find her and then take her out quickly. He would complete the mission himself and then retire.

* * *

**I will try and get the next chapter out a little quicker. Thanks for your support.**


	7. Chapter 7

**The Little Red Tattoo **

Chapter 7

It was late Sunday afternoon and Nell, Eric, Hetty and Deeks were sitting in Ops trying to come up with a plan of action. Callen had been contacted and was flying in on the next flight out of Denver. The rest of the Red team needed to stay and complete their mission.

Sam was driving in and should be there soon.

"What did they find in the alley? Anything that will give us an idea where she was going or what she's doing here?" Deeks was in pain but his determination was stronger.

"We are still waiting on the DNA results for official confirmation that it is Kensi Blye, but we're running passport checks for all Canadians entering the USA for the last month. Parts of two broken cell phones were also found at the site. One we matched to yours Deeks and the other we are assuming was Kensi'. She will need a new one and fast, so if we monitor the stores in the immediate area around the coffee shop, maybe we get lucky and find her when she buys the phone. I know, the odds aren't good but…" Nell was laying out what they had going and it wasn't much.

"We know that if she was on foot the hotel she is staying at must be close by. I'm going back down there and check as many hotels, motels, dives, anything where she might stay. I need a picture of her to show around and for the BOLO the LAPD is putting out."

At that moment Eric's monitor beeped, they had a hit.

"Up on the screen Mr. Beal." Hetty instructed, out of habit and not realizing Nell had just opened her mouth to say the same thing. Eric just smiled at Nell.

The passport photo of Helen Stamulus came up and they all fell silent for a second.

"Well that's definitely Kensi."  
It was Sam walking in and making the comment. He went right over to Deeks and took him in for a bro hug "Good to see you again man, but you look like you were hit by a bus. Kensi do this?"  
Deeks just nodded and looked back up at the screen.

Quickly saying hello to the others Sam asked about G "So when is Callen going to land? We need everyone we can get."

"Good point Sam. I've called the new team in to help with the search of the area. They are currently down at the site going over the scene one more time and waiting for further instructions."

"Very good Ms. Jones. Please send them the photo of Kensi and send them on their way. Gentlemen, you will need to set you up with phones and communications. Follow me."

Hetty started for the door and then stopped suddenly.

"I am so sorry Ms. Jones. It would seem I have forgotten my place. Your instructions please."

"Hetty, its fine please get them set-up. We need to work together to find Kensi. Eric and I have enough to do here so everything helps. Eric start running Kaleidoscope for the car. It can't be that hard to find a Red Mustang in LA, can it?"

"Already on it" came the reply. "Plus I'm running a deep background check on our Ms. Stamulus. Let's see how good your backstops are."

* * *

Half hour later, both Sam and Deeks were on the way to the coffee shop to start their search. Deeks called the precinct to check in with Bates. Maybe they found something new.

"Deeks, glad you called. We just started our investigation of a dead body found in a garbage bin not too far from the coffee shop were you said you found Blye at. This guy was stabbed to death by a pro and nothing was missing. So robbery as a motive is out. We ran him through the system and he is a known mercenary, gun for hire. Name is David Rono."

"Eric are you getting all this?" Sam was asking because this was a solid lead and Eric needed to jump on it fast. "You know what to do. God I've missed this action." Sam was pumped and firing on all cylinders and Deeks was glad they were partnered-up. He was feeding off his energy and it was keeping the pain in check.

"Thanks Captain."  
"You find her Deeks and bring her back. I'll call if we have anything else." With that the line clicked off.

"We will find her don't worry about that. Question is what is she doing here and can we restore some of her memory?" Sam was thinking out loud, driving fast and making good time getting to the coffee shop. Oh yes he was pumped.

As they were parking the car Eric called "Guys you need to check a couple of hotels just north of where you are. We are tracking the car and we think she might be staying in one of them. Addresses are being sent to your phones now."

"Sam you take one and I'll take the other."

They split up and headed to the hotels.

Deeks walked into the lobby and up to the front desk. Flashing his badge and a picture of Kensi he asked the lady behind the counter if she had seen her. To his surprise the answer was yes.

"Sam, get over here quick. Eric, check the cameras all around this area, she is staying here."

Not waiting for back-up from Sam, Deeks grabbed a key from the lady and took the stairs up to her room. Slowly inserting the plastic card into the slot and drawing his weapon, he threw the door open and ran into the room yelling "LAPD" but the room was empty.

"Damn. Eric, she's gone, the place is empty. You have anything new?"

"Not on Kensi but Rono was definitely working for someone. Bank statements show he received a lump sum of money and then landed here a few days ago. He basically stayed at a cheap hotel not too far from the one you're in, seemingly waiting for something or someone.

Re Kensi, still trying to re-locate her car to find out where she went."

Deeks began to search the room while he waited for Sam. It seemed clean at first but he wasn't giving up that easy. The drawers from the cabinets were removed, checked and tossed on the floor. The sheets were removed from the bed, inspected and tossed as well. The mattress was turned over and removed from the frame and then there it was a single little pill on the floor next to the wall. He picked it up and placed it into an envelope. Just as he picking it up, Sam and two of the agents from the new team showed up.

"You two" pointing at the young men "take this back to Ops and get it analysed. Sam, there is nothing else here. Place is clean."

They took the envelope and left without saying a word.

"Not anymore it isn't. It looks like a bomb hit it." Sam was smiling and shaking his head in disbelief.

"Yah, well I was in a bit of a rush."

Deeks was pacing the room thinking. "She obliviously came back here, grabbed her stuff and hen moved locations. She knew we would find her. She is on a mission of some sort. It has to be, why else act this way?"

Sam was about to say something when his phone rang. Noting it was Eric he put it on speaker.

"Guys we got some info on Kensi. The identity is not back stopped very well, at least not for someone of my skills." Both Sam and Deeks looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "Ok boy wonder, what you got?" Sam replied first.

"Her name is an anagram, it's a play on the word Tamulus, which is the scientific name for the Indian red scorpion. Actually the entire name is Hottentotta Tamulus which is a scorpion that belongs to the Buthidae family. Interesting fact…"  
Eric's little story was cut short by both men yelling into the phone "Get to the point."

"Ok, ok. This is important because the Red Scorpion is also a known and wanted assassin working predominantly in the Middle East. He has several high profile kills under his belt. In general there is very little information about this person, very elusive. Everyone just assumed it was a man, but maybe not. It could be Kensi or this altered version of her. We are still gathering data, but at least now we know where to look. I'll keep you guys posted."

"Is he serious about the Red Scorpion? I can't believe it could be her?"  
"Why not Sam. It was what she did when she was with NCIS. Only thing that changed was the target and who she is working for. Given her amnesia along with her transformed personality, I can see it being possible. Ironically, it was why she was in Afghanistan in the first place."

"Ok, I'll buy it, for now. So she's here on an assignment and if that's the case we need to find the target and fast."

"Yeah and who is she working for now? I'm going outside for some air. You coming?"

"I'm going to give this place one more look. See you downstairs."

Deeks headed down to wait for Sam.

* * *

Nick was parked across the street from the hotel watching the events unfold._ Damn_ he thought to himself, _can this get any worse?_ _LAPD and NCIS are looking for her as well._ _This is becoming a real shit show. How did Deeks manage to find her after all this time? Well if he gets in the way, I'm going to take him out too. I've never liked that guy, but if he wants to be with her, no problem, they can spend eternity together. _

Bringing the car to life, Nick headed toward the fallback hotel they had planned for. If she was there he was going to take her out. Then Hetty would be the last item on his list.

* * *

Deeks was standing outside the hotel looking around trying to figure out his next move. Sam was still inside giving the room one last look. As Deeks looked across the street at nothing in particular, he had the sense that he was being watched. Silly as it was, he couldn't shake the feeling. Just then Sam rested his hand on Deeks' shoulder "Where to now? We can't let this get cold."

"Hang on." Pressing his finger to his ear he connected with Ops.

"Eric anything big going on in the city this week? Major political events, something of world wide importance, special summit or conference?"

"Nothing on a big scale and no one in the city that we would call a major international profile."

Deeks could hear a beeping sound going off in the background "What's happening Eric? Something new?"  
"Hang on a minute, we have a hit on the car she was driving. It's parked in an alley about fifteen minutes for where you are now. Sending the coordinates to your phones now. Do you want me to alert LAPD?"

"No, not yet. Give us a chance to go over it first. Check the cameras in the area for Kensi, she can't just disappear."

They headed for the car but not before Deeks took another look around.

* * *

The car was sitting out in the open with the roof down. The two approached the car with caution and guns drawn but at their sides. Looking around the area and checking the nearby alley for Kensi or anyone else that might be lurking in the shadows. Sam motioned to Deeks to go wide, cross the street and come at the car from the front and he would then move in from the back.

Reaching it Sam went down on his stomach and looked under the Mustang for a bomb or detonator. It was clean, as far as he could see.

"What do you think? Seems odd to leave the car out in the open like this. She must know we are looking for her."

"Your right Deeks, almost like she wanted us to find it."

As they were looking through the car a phone began to ring and it wasn't theirs. Finding it on the floor in front of the driver's seat Deeks picked it up and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Deeks….just listen. You know I let you live yesterday. For some bizarre reason I believed you when you said you didn't want to kill me. So I guess you did get lucky last night."

"I see your sense of humour hasn't changed."

Deeks pointed to the phone and Sam nodded. He called Eric quickly to get the trace started.

"What? Didn't I say just listen. By the way Deeks, if your buddy or anyone else decides to try and trace this call before I'm done talking to you, he dies. So both of you remove the earwigs, put them on the ground and step on them. Take your phones and do the same thing. Toss your guns on the sidewalk as well."

Kensi was in a building down the street well hidden and looking down through the scope of her sniper rifle. Right now she wasn't aiming at either of them, just watching their actions.

"What are you talking about Helen?" Deeks looked at Sam and then around the street.  
"Your buddy, with the blue shirt and jeans, standing next to the car, passenger side. Tell him not to move or he's dead. Know what I'm talking about now?"

"Ok…Ok. He will stay put." Deeks moved the phone away and removed the devise from his ear, dropped in on the ground and stepped on it. Then took the phone out of his pocket and broke it with his heel. The gun was next, it slide along the sidewalk out of reach. Sam followed suit muttering something about it being a waste of a brand new phone.

"What's on your mind? I'm guessing you're not asking me out on a date, or are you?"

"You know we have some unfinished business."

"Alright, what do you want me to do Helen or should I call you Red Scorpion?"

That caught her completely by surprise. The sudden silence on the line was all Deeks needed to confirm she was in fact the Red Scorpion.

"So do I call you Ms Scorpion or is it Red since we're old friends?"

"Very clever Deeks, very clever. You're a lot smarter than you look."

"Not sure if that was a compliment, but ok."  
"Get in the car. Keys are in the arm rest compartment. Leave your friend there. I'm sure he will understand. Oh and tell your buddy to stay right there for fifteen minutes. If he goes to leave before that, I'll shoot him and just in case you need a little more convincing…"

As Deeks was holding the phone against his chest and advising Sam of the situation, she shot out two tires on their car.

"What the hell?" Sam wasn't happy seeing his tires blown out.

"Really! You had to shoot the car?"

"Just making my point. Now start driving."

Deeks climbed into the Mustang and hit the ignition. The low, deep rumble of the engine filled the air as he slowly pulled away and headed down the street.

"Very good Deeks, so you can follow simple instructions. I am impressed. Now drive another hundred yards and turn left, first stop sign turn right, drive to the first bus stop and park the car and wait."

"Ok I can do that."

He was parked at the bus stop for about five minutes when a bag was thrown on to the back seat and she jumped in the car. She was wear the baseball hat and sunglasses and had a gun with a silencer, pointing at Deeks.

"Drive over to that parking garage and go the fourth level. Don't talk, just drive."

"Ok, but I can't…"

He was cut off by a jab in the ribs with the nose of the silencer. Getting the hint, he did what he was told. Reaching the fourth level of the garage he looked over to Kensi and waited for further instructions.

"Park next to that white van. Open the back doors and throw the bag in."  
As he placed the bag into the van he was hit with a stun gun to the neck and blacked out.

* * *

When Deeks woke up he was tied to a chair in the middle of an abandoned warehouse. She was sitting directly in front of him, just staring at him and thinking._ It couldn't be true that I was his partner, that we knew each other and that we had a thing._ _Well I'm was going to find out._

Shaking off the effects of the stun gun Deeks started to focus on her and the situation he found himself in. He knew Kensi but he didn't know the Red Scorpion or how she would react in any given circumstance. He had seen first hand how cold and brutal she could be, so he needed to be a little more careful around her.

"Water?" She asked him.

He licked his lips and ran his tongue over his teeth.

"Yes."

She brought the bottle to his lips and slowly poured some water into his mouth.

Swallowing he looked at her and waited.

"Now, you need to answer some questions for me. Here are the rules: no bullshit responses or smart ass comments; tell me the truth, if I think you're lying or I'm not satisfied with what you say, then I make an attitude adjustment."

She was staring directly into his eyes and Deeks could see a determination he hadn't seen before. The reality of his predicament was starting to sink in. This wasn't Kensi he was dealing with; this was an assassin, on a mission and looking for answers.

* * *

When Sam arrived back at Ops he was in a foul mood. Not only had he lost Deeks, his car needed new tires and rims. Callen had already arrived and was going over the details with Eric and Nell.

"Nice to see you again G. How's Paris doing?"

Big bro hug for the two ex-partners before getting back to business.

"Great, things are really good. She wanted to be here but we couldn't compromise the mission and she decided to stay and see it through. So this is really Kensi?"

"Yes and no. I don't know what happened to her but she's been on some wild ride over the last few years. Did the blood analysis come in yet? How about that pill we found?"

"Just got it ten minutes ago. It is Kensi, no doubt there but she has a mixture of strange drugs in her system that matched the pill. I know the CIA have used these in the past to conduct mind altering experiments, but that was years ago. They suspended the use of these drugs because the side effects where severe and in some cases resulted in death. Apparently the withdrawal can be very severe." Nell was just finishing her report when Hetty walked in.

"Gentlemen, what is our next move? We need to locate Mr. Deeks quickly. If she believes that he is a threat to her or her mission she will eliminate him. Nell, are we looking into the drug angle with the CIA?"

"I have a call into them now, not holding my breath for a speedy response."  
"I will make a call. There are still a few people who owe me a favour or two."

As Hetty left the room, Callen turned and looked at Sam and asked "Is anyone else thinking of an ex-CIA agent that went missing with Kensi?' Callen paused and then continued. "Sabatino was never found was he? What if he is still alive?"

"What if he is some how connected with this and with Kensi specifically. That would explain the drugs in her system." Sam added.

"Eric, run facial recognition for Sabatino. Maybe he is here and we don't even know it."

"If he had anything to do with turning Kensi into this…this….I don't even know what to call this, but if he did, I'm going to rip him apart." Sam's blood was boiling just thinking that Sabatino was involved. Sam never liked him to begin with but to do this to Kensi was barbaric.

"Let's find him first big guy, maybe he can lead us to Kensi."

They both headed downstairs to see how Hetty was making out with her CIA connection.

* * *

**Thanks again for all the comments and insights, they are great. Trying to get the next one out a little quicker.**

**Have a great weekend.**


	8. Chapter 8

**The Little Red Tattoo **

Chapter 8

Nick had just walked outside of the fallback hotel location hoping to find Kensi there, but she wasn't. He didn't know where she was or even how to contact her. He knew Deeks and the gang were looking for her as well and maybe just maybe they had already caught her. That was certainly a possibility.

Even if she didn't call he still expected her to carry out the hit. She had never let me down before, so there must be a good reason for her not using the phone.

He needed to think so he walked down the street to a local bar and went in for a drink.

Sitting at the bar working on his second scotch he ran through the plan.

The scheduled hit was in two days, Tuesday night, at Hetty's house. She was having a few old and very influential friends over for dinner so the statement would be made loud and clear. He had managed to secure a sniper rifle from one of Mattias' old contacts and it was ready for pick-up tomorrow night. If Helen didn't show he would finish the job and then continue to search for her. If she did show, well then she would complete the hit and he would take care of her. That was the best option but not the likeliest.

Bottom line was this is her last mission regardless of the outcome.

As he drained the amber liquid from the glass he over heard two men sitting next to him complaining about working at a warehouse and how boring it was loading trucks all day. The word warehouse triggered a memory. When they were setting-up the mission they had selected an old abandoned building as a possible hold-up should things get hot. They had discarded it because of location and they never considered it again. But it was definitely worth a look now. He knew the area but not the address and that was better than nothing. Paying the tab he left the bar and headed for the car.

* * *

The facial recognition program didn't take long to produce results. It was only a seventy percent match but it was close enough to sound the bell and have Eric start to pay attention.

"Nell. You need to look at this."

She made her way over and knew immediately who it was.

Callen and Sam were sitting down in the bullpen listening to Hetty as she relayed the main points of the conversation she just had with her contact at the CIA. It took some doing but she finally got to talk to him.

"We were correct gentlemen, Sabatino is indeed alive and he has been the one behind the Red Scorpion assassinations. The CIA has been keeping tabs on him for some time now but they swear that they did not know Kensi was involved. It would seem they let him operate and may have even used him, but that is unofficial."

"Yeah, like we can believe anything they say. Hetty, do they know were he is now?"  
"Yes they do. He is here in Los Angeles, but they have no idea who the target is or if there is a target."

"Did they give you a name so we can find him?"  
"Nick Boatsina is his alias. It is a start and lord knows we have found people with less information than what we have now. So let's get upstairs and find him fast."

They didn't need to be told twice. Both men hit the stairs two at a time and almost ran into Eric as he was coming out the door.

All three of them shouted out "Nick Boatsina" at exactly the same time.

"We are already checking the cameras from the airport now. Give us some time, we'll find him."

"Anything on Deeks? We need to locate the car and find them. He's not dealing with Kensi even though he can't see that."

"Sam, he knew her best so let's hope he can get through to her before she does something regretful." Callen was being optimistic.

Hetty soon arrived and they were all up in Ops listening to Nell and Eric lay out what they found over the last hour or so.

"Deeks and Kensi are in the wind. We found the car at a parking garage but we are still tracking all the other vehicles that exited that garage after the Mustang entered. It's taking some time to follow them all.

Now with Sabatino we have been more successful. The car he picked up was easier to track. He drove to the hotel that Kensi was staying and actually was there the same time Sam and Deeks were inside searching the room."

"So he did send her here on a mission. He knows the plan. He knows all their meeting spots. Do you have a location on him now?" Sam was starting to become annoyed, he wanted this guy and he wanted him bad.

"Sabatino went to another hotel and was in and out in less than a minute so he didn't find what he was looking for. He hasn't return to his car as of yet."

"OK we're going to the car now. Keep an eye on it in case he does go back to it. Sam lets go."

As they headed for the door G couldn't help himself "I guess we need to pick-up a car from the motor pool, some tire trouble with yours?"  
"Funny G, real funny."

Callen was laughing all the way down the stairs.

* * *

When they reached Sabatino's car they circled the block and parked up the street to wait for him to return.

"G, I don't have a good feeling about this whole thing. Kensi might be so messed up that we may never get her back. What if she kills Deeks? Then what? What if we get into a fire fight? I can't shoot Kensi."  
"One step at a time. First let's find her and Deeks and then we can take it from there. This Sabatino is a real piece of work, kidnapping Kensi and then turning her into his own personal assassin. What we haven't asked yet is why he is here? Is he overseeing the hit? Is he part of the plan in an over watch position? He definitely didn't come for a vacation."

"G this guy just gets under my skin. I don't know what to think. Maybe he is here to ensure it gets done."  
"Sam, she has become one of the best at what she does, he doesn't need to babysit her. Plus it was very risky for both of them to come back to LA, so this must be someone very important. They are way out of their comfort zone."

As the two agents discussed the case, Sabatino was returning from the bar and he noticed two men just sitting in a parked car, conveniently within eyesight of his vehicle. Well they were about to get a very unpleasant surprise. He drew his gun and began to inch his way toward their car. Sliding along the other parked cars, moving slowly in a crouched position, he neared the vehicle. He decided to take the drive out first so he moved to the street side of the parked cars. That was a mistake. Sam happened to be looking at the side mirror when he saw the movement. "DOWN G" was all he could get out before the windows exploded from the bullets being sprayed into the cabin.

Both men ducked down and covered their head with their hands waiting for the opportunity to move and get out of the car.

Callen reacted first and popped the door open and stepped out to return fire as Sam stayed low waiting for the opportunity to join the fight. Sabatino was on the pavement and rolled back toward the sidewalk and fired two rounds low toward Callen. The first one hit the back of the car but the second one found its mark and ripped into his left leg. Callen screamed and dropped to the ground.

"G! Are you hit?" Sam was getting out of the car and looking for the shooter. He ran around to the back of the vehicle to place himself between Callen and gunman. As he did he saw a man running down the street and then disappear behind a row of buildings.

"G talk to me. Where are you hit?"  
"Leg. It's bleeding badly. May have hit an artery."  
"ERIC. Eric. Send help now. G's been shot and Sabatino is on foot and heading north."  
"On it."  
"G I'm going to stop the blood flow."  
Removing his belt, Sam tightened it at the top of Callen's thigh slowing down the bleeding.

"Eric, where are they? Callen needs to get to the hospital fast or he is going to bleed out."  
"They're about a minute out. Hang on."

"Seriously G, you're not here for more than a few hours and you go and get yourself shot."

"Lucky me, huh."

Sam was trying to keep him engaged in the conversation but he could see that G was going into shock. He had lost too much blood already and needed surgery fast. The sirens of the emergency vehicles could be heard getting closer as Sam made sure the tourniquet was tight.

If anything happened to Callen, Sam was going to make it his life's mission to hunt down and eradicate that piece of shit called Sabatino from the world.

* * *

Stumbling as he ran Sabatino was glad to get away with his life. He didn't know how they saw him, but they did. Well he shot one of them and that provided him with the opportunity to escape. He needed another car to get to that warehouse. Making his way down the street he found an old Chevy Impala with the doors unlocked. He climbed in and within a minute he was driving away. He heard the sirens off in the distance growing weaker as he drove. At least they are out of the way for now and he can concentrate on the task at hand.

As he was navigating the streets of LA his phone rang.

"Yes."

"Do you have a status report for me?"  
It was Mattias looking for reassurances that the deed would get done.

"A small adjustment was required; however everything is still on track."

"Good. I am glad to hear this."

"Not to worry, it will get done."

Hearing this Mattias ended the call.

Sabatino tossed the phone on the seat beside him and focused on the road in front of him.

This gun fight didn't help matters at all. They had found him too fast. Frustrated, he slapped the steering wheel hard and thought _she turned this whole mission into a cluster f...What the hell? _The car had just bounced in and out of a pot hole, jarring his mind from Kensi.

Refocusing on the issue at hand, he knew that the heat is now going to be turned way up, making this operation even more difficult to carry out. Fact was more police and more agents would be out looking for him as well.

Heat or no heat, this hit was going to happen. If he failed, he was a dead man.

* * *

Kensi walked around Deeks tapping the blade of the knife in her palm. She wanted answers from him. He had thrown her for a loop last night and she wasn't happy with that. She likes things in their place, she needed order.

As Kensi walked around him she smiled to herself and thought – _he's not too bad. Could use a hair cut, but not bad at all. Wouldn't mind a little...Whoa! What the hell am I thinking? Concentrate woman and keep those hormones in check. _

By the time she was facing him again Kensi had become all business and her face showed it.

"Remember the rules and you will be fine. This knife has become a problem for me and I need to resolve this."

"Kensi just listen to me. The knife is just the start; you need to believe that somehow you became this Helen person. It's not who you really are." He struggled a little against the restrains.

Deeks was getting a little agitated being strapped to the chair. Old horrible memories that had been buried deep years ago were starting to bubble to the surface. With every minute that past a new bubble would make its way to the top and burst causing him to regress into that black hole. It was blackness so profound that the only light that could once penetrate it was now the very cause of it. He needed to focus on that light regardless, or he wouldn't survive. He had to believe with his entire soul that she was going to come back to him. That he would get her back. That she would be Kensi Blye again. His Kensi, his Fern.

His mental focus was on the Kensi he had been with the night before she went to Afghanistan. Her beauty, her smile, her eyes, her love for donuts. His Kensi and his anchor.

She looked into his eyes and noticed he was lost, a million miles away. For just a spilt second she saw something familiar in those eyes. Something she felt to her core. It froze her in place and yet began a small fire in the pit of her stomach.

Again he had managed to stun and confuse her, something no man had ever done to her before.

A small pulse of pain in her head brought her back to reality and who she was today.

So she bent over, held his jaw with her left hand and placed her face about two inches away from his.

"Deeks,….Deeks. Focus on me. You zoned out there for a minute."

Being this close to him she got a whiff of his scent again. It was the same fragrance she smelled last night when she was kissing me. It reminded her of something but she still couldn't put her finger on it. What she did know was that it made her feel at ease and calm, maybe even safe. Maybe that was why she had no qualms about going home with him in the first place. Strange she had never experienced this before with any one else.

"Who…"  
She trailed off and closed her eyes, wincing as the pain blasted through her head. This time it wasn't good she thought to herself. But she refused to let it stop her from finding out the truth.

Pressing on, Kensi took a drink of water as the level of pain began to drop.

She had brought him out of his trance long enough for him to look at her face.

Deeks watched with concern as she tried to deal with the battle going on in her head.

He forced himself to concentrate on her. She seemed in so much pain at times, but why?

What was the cause?

"Ok, let's try this again. Who do you think I am and how did you get this knife?"

"I don't think, I know. You are Kensi Marie Blye and we were partners when we both worked at NCIS."

She moved back and stared at him. "Me and you, together? Really?"

"Yea. Why is that so hard to believe?"

She raised her eyebrows and rolled her head back and forth pondering the idea of the two of them together. A very small smile formed on her face but it was short lived as more pain pounded inside her head.

Deeks couldn't see this as her back was to him.

"Ok how about Sam or Callen, do you remember them?"

She shook her head.

"Eric then, well you must remember Nell. The two of you were good friends."

Another shake of the head.

"Still no? How about Hetty then?"

That seemed to have hit a nerve as Kensi snapped her head around and looked right at Deeks.

Now her mind began to work in a totally different direction. The target was someone she supposedly had history with. How could that be true?

"Oh sure, her you remember, me not so much."

"Stop the babble. How am I connected to Hetty? She's not my mother is she?"

Deeks couldn't help but laugh a little at the thought. "No… not a chance of that. She was our boss, ran the operation. How do you remember her?"

Kensi' eyes rolled and her head twisted as a new bolt of pain gripped her. She staggered a little as she moved toward him.

Deeks was staring at Kensi and he could tell something was now seriously wrong. She didn't look well at all. Her skin had become pale and she was having a very hard time staying focused. Yet she continued with the questions. God she was stubborn.

"Tell me again about this knife." Her words were starting to slur now.

She held up the knife and displayed it in front of his face. Her movements were choppy and erratic, like she was drunk. Her thought process was bouncing around and disconnected.

"I told you it was your dad's knife. He gave it to you and you gave it me before you were deployed to Afghanistan. But I thought we were talking about Hetty?"

He paused for a second becoming very concerned. She needed him now and he realized this.

"Kensi, you're not well. Sit down and have some more water, you look like you're about to pass out."

"Stop changing the subject. I'm fine, just…" at that point her eyes rolled back into her head and she crumpled onto the concrete floor.

"Kensi! Kensi! Talk to me. Say something." Not getting any response what so ever he started to bounce the chair towards to her motionless body lying on the floor. He needed to get to the knife and free himself, if he didn't she was going to die.


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm sorry it so long to update. Well here it is.**

**The Little Red Tattoo **

Chapter 9

Deeks had managed to position himself with the chair close to Kensi. The knife had fallen next to her so all he had to do was drop down and try to reach it while still tied to the chair. Easier said then done. He rocked the chair side to side until it fell. He landed with a thud on his shoulder causing him to hit his head as well. He was now close enough to reach the tip of the knife with his fingers. Slowly working his digits on the edge of the blade he was able to capture it and cut the ties. Finally free he knelt down beside Kensi and gingerly turned her over on her back. She was bleeding from the nose and ear and that was a bad sign. Her breathing was low and shallow and her pulse was weak.

He just froze for a second and looked at her. Panic was starting to set in. So he closed his eyes, gave his head a shake and started talking to himself.

"Stay calm, she's going to be fine, she has to be. This is still Kensi, she never quits, never gives up.

"No way can I drive her to the hospital in her condition, she won't make it.

Ok where's her phone then, you gotta have one."  
He searched her pockets and finally located it in her bag; he dialled 911 out of habit, not thinking to call Eric first.

"Hello, what is the nature of your emergency?"  
"This LAPD Detective Marty Deeks and I need EMS at this location and fast. Female, unconscious, with head trauma. Can you lock onto this phone?"  
"Yes Detective and they are being dispatched as we speak. I am also sending police and fire rescue. Stay on the line until they arrive."

He placed the phone on the ground beside her and tried to make her comfortable.

"Stay with me Kensi. Help is on the way. We are going to get you to the hospital."

The bleeding from her ear was a bad sign; chances were she had a brain hemorrhage of some type.

"Come on Fern, you need to fight this. You just can't give up, not now that I found you again. You need to stay with me."

She seemed so peaceful, without the pain etched all over her face. He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand and held her other hand in his. He wasn't going to let go of her not now.

There was nothing he could do except wait for help to arrive.

* * *

As Sabatino neared the area of the warehouse he was inundated with sirens and lights all heading his way. His first instinct was to reach for his gun, gripping it in his hand he scrambled to find a place to pull off the road and get ready for the fight. If they wanted him well then he was going to take as many of them with him as possible.

There was an empty lot up ahead so he drove in and spun the car around ready to return fire. To his amazement all the vehicles drove right by and continued down the road. Breathing a sigh of relief, he put the car back in gear and slowly followed along at a safe distance, not to be seen.

They stopped in front of an old building and rushed inside. Sabatino didn't dare move any closer with the car, so he parked completely out of sight and decided to make his way over on foot. This way he could stay in the shadows and not be seen but observe what was happening. It was no coincidence that the warehouse he was looking for was in the exact same area as this emergency. It had to be Sofia, or Helen, whatever she was going by today. He needed to confirm it was her or that she was involved some how. A hundred things could have happened in there and he needed to know what.

He was close enough now to see what they were doing. Waiting patiently he watched as they brought out a stretcher and all their medical gear and ran inside. The fire department soon determined there was nothing they could do so the left the scene. The policed stayed and basically secured the area as they waited for the paramedics to finish their work.

He couldn't hear what they were saying so he made his way to the side of the building and crouched under a row of windows half of which had been broken. He couldn't see what was happening as the windows were too high, but parts of the conversation were audible and by the way they were yelling instructions and medical terms he knew it wasn't good for the person they were working on.

The words he did make out "clear" and "hit her again" told him that the patient was critical.

Finally after about half an hour they all came out of the building with a female body on the stretcher followed by a man. The person being attended to was strapped in, covered by a blanket and had an oxygen mask on her face which made it very difficult to get a good look at her, but he knew exactly who it was. However the man following, he was easy for Sabatino to identify.

_How the hell did he find her and take her down? He is going to pay for this. If it's the last thing I do, I'm going to kill him. _

Sabatino was angry beyond words and actually considered charging the group with his gun blazing and taking out all of them, but he knew he only had six rounds left in the clip. That would mean one bullet per person and he wasn't that good a shot. He would bide his time and follow the ambulance to the hospital and then figure out how to handle the situation. If he had to finish the job in the hospital room then so be it.

Quickly he made his way back to the car and waited for the ambulance.

It was now up to him to complete the mission. At least that was settled.

The phone in his pocket vibrated; removing it he answered the call.

"Yes."  
"Listen. The venue has been cancelled, called off. You will need to find another solution to the problem. Just get it done and soon."

The line went dead before Sabatino could even think of a reply.

Another complication, that's all he needed now. He slammed the palm of this hand into the steering wheel a couple of times and shouted "DAMN IT!"

As the ambulance and the police sped by, Sabatino checked his rage and pulled his car out on to the road and followed.

* * *

Sam was pacing around the waiting area just outside of the surgery rooms. Callen had gone in about an hour ago and it was painful for Sam to just sit around doing nothing. Hetty had arrived at the hospital and was making the calls she needed to make. He didn't know who she was talking to but it was certain things were about to happen.

Sam approached Hetty and just about to ask her if she could find out how Callen was doing when the double doors from the surgery ward opened and out walked a doctor in green scrubs, but they were covered in blood and she looked exhausted.

"Would you be here for a Mr. Callen?"

"Yes we are. How's he doing Doctor?"

"Well it was touch and go for a while there. He needed a lot of blood to stabilize him and get the bleeding under control. The bullet nicked the Femoral Artery enough to make this a very serious procedure.

I'm sorry, I'm Doctor Olivia Holland and I performed the surgery on Mr. Callen."

Extending her hand toward Sam first and then Hetty.

"He was very luck you slowed down the bleeding when you did. He would have bled out in minutes if you weren't there to save him."  
"Yes Mr. Callen is very lucky to have a partner such as Mr. Hanna. When can we see him Dr. Holland?"

"He's in recovery now so in about an hour or so. We will move him up to his room and you can speak to him then. There were no complications, but he must rest that leg for a couple of weeks. It is paramount he does nothing strenuous until I have approved it."

'We will ensure he rests properly doctor."

"Well if you don't have any other questions, I'm going to check in on him and make sure all is well. Nice to meet both of you."  
"Thank you doctor." Sam called out as she turned and went back through the doors

"G isn't going to be happy sitting around doing nothing for that long. Glad I'm not going to be babysitting him. Speaking of which, has anyone called Paris?"

"Yes Mr. Hanna, she has been advised and she will get here when she can. Until then I will make the necessary arrangements to ensure he is comfortable."

"Are you sure you can keep him in bed for that long?"  
"Leave that to me, Mr. Hanna, leave that to me."

* * *

Deeks was sitting next to Kensi in the Ambulance holding her hand and saying very little. He was genuinely afraid for the first time in a long time. He knew nothing of what was going on with Kensi and even less on how he could help her. As he sat there he thought about the fight they had last night. Had he inflected these injuries? His face became pale as the idea sank in that he could be the cause. He would never forgive himself if he was.

He closed his eyes and realized that he needed to focus on her now. What ever was required, he was going to do it. No matter what it was and no matter how long it took.

When she went into cardiac arrest back at the warehouse he thought he had lost her again, but they brought her back. Now he was looking at her just lying there not moving, hanging on to life.

"Kensi, you must fight this. A long time ago you said that you did not leave me that you would have fought with every once of your being to stay with me. It's now that time Kensi. It's time to dig in and fight with everything you got.

If you trust me, then you must listen to me. Please don't give up now. I'm here with you and I'm not going anywhere."

He was rubbing her arm and the top of her hand as the ambulance pulled into the hospital emergency bay. Before he knew what was happening, the doors flew open and a doctor and two nurses began asking for her vital signs as the stretcher was unloaded and wheeled down the hall to an awaiting room. A neurosurgeon was already in the room and ready for her. Deeks followed the procession down the hall until they all entered the room. Before he could get near the door a nurse put her hand up and against his chest to stop his motion.

"Sorry, you can't come in. Let us do what we need to do for her. We will advise you once we have the diagnosis. The waiting room is just down the hall." She took one look into his eyes and she could see the worry and the fear. She placed her hand on Deeks' arm and squeezed it gently.

In a very calm and soft voice she said "Don't worry. She's in very good hands. They are the best at what they do. Once we find out what's wrong we will know how to proceed. Have faith. We will do everything we can to get her back to you."

"Ok, thank you. I…I…will just go wait. That's…..That's what I'm going to do."

She gave his arm one more squeeze and with a small smile turned and entered the room with Kensi and the rest of the medical team.

He stood there looking at the door for some time before slowly walking down the corridor and dropping into one of the chairs in the waiting area. He didn't know what to think any more, but he did know they both needed the support of their friends.

He pulled out Kensi' phone and dialled the number for Ops. Eric picked up on the second ring.

"Hello, who is this?"  
"It's me Eric. I'm at the hospital with Kensi."  
"Deeks, what happened? Is Kensi alright?"  
"Not sure. She just past out and then started bleeding from her nose and ear. It's not good Eric, not good at all."

* * *

Sabatino drove passed the hospital watching the two vehicles turn into the emergency lane and then disappear under the entrance canopy. There was no use going into the hospital now. Things had to settle down first. He would find a hotel for the night and rest. Tomorrow he would pick-up more ammo and then visit the hospital. If the patient he was interested in had not succumbed to her injuries then he would need to help her along as well as her new boy friend.

The final phase of the mission could then be completed. Another problem he needed to deal with, but one thing at a time.

* * *

Sam was sitting in a chair next to the window in Callen's hospital room. Looking out at the evening sky he was thinking how crazy the day had been and it still wasn't over. He really did miss the action and the old team. They were very good together, maybe even one of the best at what they did. He looked over at Callen sleeping and realized just how much he missed working with him. Well he was going to spend some time with him now and help him recover. Paris could use the extra hands when dealing with G especially when he is immobile.

Sam's phone buzzed showing an incoming call.

"Yeah Eric, what you got?"

"Sam, Kensi is hurt and in the hospital, Deeks is with her. They still don't know what's wrong with her. How's Callen?"

"He's fine. Resting, for now. They're in this hospital?"

"No they took them to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Is Hetty still there with you?"  
"Not in the room but it's hard to tell, she could still be here, somewhere. When will they know?"

"Deeks is staying put so I need to get one of our phones and an earwig to him so he can stay in touch. Nell said she would go."

"Ok keep me posted and I'll stay with Callen for now but we should post a security detail on Callen and Kensi. Sabatino is still running around loose and we still don't know his game plan."

"On it."

Eric was gone and Sam was staring at G and thinking about Sabatino. They needed to find him but the team was down to one – Sam Hanna and he couldn't do this without help.

He punched in Nell's number and waited. She picked up on the first ring.

"Sam, is very thing alright?"

"Yea, G is sleeping. We need more eyes on this case. Where is your team?"

"They are back at Ops going over the evidence we have so far."  
"Send two over to the hospital with Deeks and they can start going over everything with him. They need to visit the location where she was holding Deeks and work back until they find where she was staying. She must have left something behind that will help us."

"I can do that. The hospital is just around the corner so I will be there in a minute. Once I talk to Deeks I will call you."

"Keep your eyes open, Sabatino is still out there."

"Will do."

She touched the pouch beside her that container the a gun for Deeks and her weapon as well. Let Sabatino come she thought, let him come.

As Nell pulled into the parking lot of the hospital she knew it was going to be a long night but they had Kensi back and that brought hope. She made her way through the hospital and found Deeks in the waiting area pacing around the room.

"Hey." Nell's voice was low and soft.  
"Nell, I'm so glad you're here."

She moved toward him and hugged him. He looked like he could really use one.

"They haven't said anything Nell. I don't even know how long I've been here. I don't know what's going on."

The look in his eyes told her that he blamed himself for everything and didn't know were to turn.

She took his hand and guided him to one of the chairs in the room. She then sat next to him and continued to hold his hand.  
"Deeks, listen to me, she will be fine. They will figure out what's wrong and they will help her. You must believe it."

"I do, I really do but I need them to tell me something."

"Let's get some coffee."

As they got up to go to the vending machine they saw a doctor walking to toward them. She was about five foot ten with blond hair with an athletic build. The surgical cap she was wearing had Taz the Tasmanian Devil from Loony Tunes on it and that got a small smile from Deeks. He liked this doctor already, he just hoped she had good news, but somehow he doubted it.

"Hello I'm Doctor Erika Noslo and I need to speak to you about…I'm sorry I don't believe I know her name."

"It's Kensi Blye and she's my partner and she's my friend and she's been missing for years and we just got her back and now she almost died and I can't let that happen so you need to help her."

Deeks was rambling and he knew it. He just couldn't stop it.

The doctor looked at him and took a breath to slow down the pace.

"Well….Ms. Blye is alive but her condition is very serious. She has a subdural hematoma caused by a bullet fragment logged in her brain. It has been there for some time and it seems to have shifted. We need to operate to remove it. There are serious risks with this type of surgery."

"Doctor, if you don't remove it what happens?" Deeks was looking directly into the doctors blue eyes and demanding the truth without a sugar coating and she felt it.  
"She won't survive, this is her only chance. Problem will be her motor skills and her memory; we have no idea what it will do to either."  
"She was already suffering from memory lost."

"Well this could wipe everything out. She could become a shell without substance."

"You just said we don't have a choice, you just said she wouldn't survive without this operation, so what do we need to discuss?"

"I need you to understand the possible consequences."

"I have already lived with the possible consequences and the fact that she is here now and you can save her is more than I had two days ago."

"Well we can't wait. The swelling in her brain is getting worse. We need to release the pressure and we must do this quickly. We are prepping her for emergency surgery now. If all goes well it will be a few hours before we know anything."

"Ok doctor, we will be here."

Dr. Noslo nodded her head, turned and walked back the same way she came leaving Deeks and Nell alone.

"She is one of the best neurosurgeons in the country Mr. Deeks."  
Hetty was standing behind them with two coffees in her hands.

* * *

**Thanks again for all the reviews. I will update as soon as I can.**

**Have a great day.**


	10. Chapter 10

**The Little Red Tattoo **

Chapter 10

It was just after midnight when Dr. Noslo returned to the waiting area to find quite the group. Nell was asleep on Deeks' shoulder and he had his arm around her trying to hold her up. He seemed to be rolling in and out of sleep as his head was bobbing up and down.

Hetty was sitting very still in the corner of the room and you couldn't tell if she was awake or sleeping with her eyes open, it was just eerie. Julia was sitting across from Deeks with her head tilted back against the wall almost sleeping.

Agent Andrew Crownman, who had arrived a couple of hours ago with Julia, was sitting in the opposite corner from Hetty reading a magazine and basically watching over the flock.

Deeks had asked if an agent could run by the house and bring Julia to the hospital. Agent Andrew had only told her that Detective Deeks was at the hospital and that she was required to meet him there. Once she recovered from the shock of Marty possibly being hurt, but was not, she followed Crownman to the hospital. Saying hello to Nell and Hetty, she gave Deeks one big hug for being safe and then immediately proceeded to faint upon hearing the news that her daughter was not only alive, she was in surgery to stop a brain hemorrhage.

In hind sight, Deeks knew he should have played this a little different. It really was too much for her to take in all in one shot.

The doctor cleared her throat several times to get their attention and then watched as they came out of sleep. When Deeks finally realized where he was and what was happening he jumped from the chair and almost knocked Nell to the floor.

"Doctor… How…how is she?"

Nell had stood up by then and was standing behind Deeks rubbing his back slowly, hoping it would calm him for the news. Hetty and Julia had also made their way over to the doctor. Agent Crownman put the magazine down and looked on, listening.

"We managed to remove the bullet fragment and clean some of the scar tissue that had formed over the years. This helped relieve the pressure on her brain. Getting the bleeding under control was a little trickier. We had difficulty locating the exact spot and then to stop it completely, well that took longer that we had hoped."

She stopped for a moment allowing the information to settle in and answer any questions they might have.

No one said a word, they just looked at her, not even blinking.

"The bleeding, for now has stopped. We will continue to monitor her vital signs and the pressure on her brain. She is in a short drug induced coma for the time being and will stay that way for at least a day while her vitals improve."

"Will she start to bleed again? You said you stopped the bleeding for now. What will cause her to start again?"  
"We are not sure at this point in time. If her blood pressure spikes it could start again. Time is the big factor now. She needs to rest and start to mend. Once we bring her out of the coma we can then re-assess her condition."  
"What is her status?" Hetty spoke the question they were all thinking.

"Now she is in stable but critical condition. She will be moved up to ICU and we will watch her very closely. She is not out of the woods yet. She appears to be a very strong woman so I'm not betting against her, but…but the drugs that we found in her system are complicating matters. The coma should help her ride out the effects of these drugs but nothing is certain."

"When can we see her?" Julia asked as she was holding back tears.

"In about an hour we will have her in her room. Please no more than two visitors at one time for now."  
"Dr. Noslo we will be posting a guard at the door to her room. Please have all your people wear their I.D. tags so our agent can verify who they are." Nell was serious about checking everyone entering the area of the ICU, she was taking no chances.

"I will advise the staff. Can I ask you how Ms. Blye happened to have those specific drugs in her system?"

They all looked at each other not really sure how they were going to answer that.  
"Let's just say it's a classified matter for the moment." Hetty responded not giving anything away.

"I guess that will do for now. Well it has been a long night, so I am going to check on our patient and then try and get some sleep. You should do the same; there is nothing you can do for her now."  
"Thank you doctor for saving her, I don't know if I could have survived if we lost her again." Deeks was looking down at the floor as he spoke and the last few words were almost a whisper.

Julia reached out and took his hand and covered it with hers. "She's going to be fine Marty. She came back to us and we are going to help her get well."

"I know."

"We are all here to help her Mr. Deeks. Now I must leave for a few hours but I will return in the morning. I suggest we all do as the doctor ordered and try and get some rest. Except Mr. Crownman, he will be busy protecting Ms. Blye."

"I'm going to stay and go to her room once they move her in." Deeks wasn't leaving the hospital as long as Kensi was in a coma.

"I think I'm going home for a few hours rest as well. These chairs are murder on my back and neck. I will be back early in the morning." Julia moved to pick-up her bag and find her car keys.

"Deeks you have everything you need so I'm off to get Eric. Andrew your shift is over at 7am. Agent Jim Chow will take over from you then."

As everyone left to go home Deeks and Crownman sat back down to wait for the room to be made ready and for Kensi to be moved in.

They must have been thinking the same thing or maybe it was out of habit but both men reached for their gun to make sure it was at the ready. Funny thing was neither one saw it as they were both looking in opposite directions.

* * *

It was around seven in the morning when Deeks awoke to the smell of coffee and the very gentle nudging from Sam. Deeks blinked his eyes a few times to shake the sleep off and focus on the body in front of him. Trying to work out the knots in his neck and shoulders, he slowly stood, stretched and then reached for the coffee. Sam was half smiling, half laughing at the sight of Deeks unravelling himself.

"Are you finished? I wouldn't want you to spill this all over yourself."

"Thanks man, I so needed this. And you try sleeping in that…that sorry excuse for a chair."

"How is she doing?" Sam got serious as he looked over at Kensi lying in the bed with white bandages covering her head and wires attached to almost every part of her body.

"Same as last night. The doctor should be by soon to check on her again, we'll get an update then. I heard G was shot. How's he doing?"

"Already complaining like a little girl. Paris should be arriving this afternoon so maybe she can settle him down."

"She's going to make it Deeks. Look what she's survived already."

"I don't know Sam, this is a brain injury. What if she wants nothing to do with me? If she can't remember anything about me how will she know we were together once? What if her memories are all gone?"

"One day at a time, man, one day at a time. You show her how much you care for her; you charm her like you did all those years ago."

Sam placed his hand on Deeks' shoulder and continued "If she can't remember the things you did when you were together, then do new things and make new memories. You need to remember that you were the only one that broke through her defences. You were the only one to make her truly happy and that you were the only one that was there for her no matter what happened. Now is the time to step up and help her fight this, not sit down deflated and feeling sorry for yourself, or worse for her."

"Well I hope she gives me a chance to do all that, I really do."

They finished their coffee in silence.

Hetty soon showed up with Julia as did Nell and Eric, all taking turns sitting with Kensi or reviewing the evidence they had gathered. As the morning wore on they finally convinced Deeks to run home so he could shower and change his clothes. Actually they gave him no choice. So run he did.

Soon after Deeks had returned to Kensi' room, Hetty received a call that seemed to change her demeanour. Saying her good-byes, she left the hospital. As she sat in the car with the engine revving she looked around sensing something was a miss but nothing stood out. Still she knew to trust her instincts so she put the car in gear and pulled out of the hospital parking lot.

* * *

Sabatino was parked about one hundred feet from the front entrance of the hospital sitting in his newly stolen car and checking his weapon. Looking up he couldn't believe who was walking out the front door. Things are looking up he thought. Time to take care of some business.

He waited for her to drive by him on the way out of the parking lot and then started to follow her.

Hetty picked-up the tail soon after leaving the hospital and started to head out of the city and up into the hills. She knew what her Jaguar could do; now she wanted to see how long her new found friend would last. As the Jag started to climb the foothills Hetty dropped down a gear and stepped on the gas. As the tachometer hit six, she clutched, banged it into the next gear and stood on the pedal again. The V-12 roared as it pushed the car up the inclined road leaving the tailing car behind.

Sabatino couldn't believe the distance she had just put between them in a matter of seconds, so he gave chase determined to run her off the road and down the side of the hill. The BMW he had stolen started to gain but the twists and turns in the road made this a nasty bit of driving.

Hetty could see the car getting closer and waited until it was almost behind her before beginning the driving lesson. If he wanted a race through the hills of Los Angeles, then who better to teach him.

Dropping into second, she hit the gas; the back wheels grabbed with a squeal and launched the Jag forward. Clutch, then into third, red line the tach and into fourth, turn ahead, back down to third, brake – clutch, into second, gas into the turn, back to third and into a chicane hitting the outside edges of the curve and blasting through it at top speed.

Sabatino was trying to keep up but he lacked the skill to manoeuvre his vehicle through all these turns. He needed to get close enough to take a few shots at her; if he got lucky one would connect.

A particularly dangerous section of the road was just ahead and Hetty knew this. If she did this right she might be able to lose him. Down hard on the accelerator, sending the Jag screaming up the hill eating up pavement in giant bites. The BMW took the bait and began closing in fast. She down shifted just before the first hard turn, on the gas, back up into third gear and hurling toward the next bend just ahead. In one fluid motion she clutched, dropped the gear and pulled on the hand brake sliding the car toward the edge of the precipice. With precision timing she releasing the brake, gunned the engine and sped up the road and out of sight.

Sabatino realized his speed was too much for the tight turn, standing on the breaks and pulling on the wheel, he caused the car to spin and head toward the edge of the hill. The only thing that prevented him from going over was the large shoulder at the bow of the turn. The BMW skidded hard hitting the back bumper against the railing. He was now facing down the hill and breathing a little heavier as he paused for a second to regain his bearings. She was going to have to wait, there was no way he could catch her now. Regrouping, he started the car and decided to head back to the hospital before it became even more difficult to get to his little scorpion friend.

* * *

Deeks and Julia were listening to Dr. Noslo explain how the medication was slowly being reduced to help Kensi come out of the coma. They wanted to see how responsive she was to stimulus in order to better access her brain function. This was good news but it also scared Deeks. Julia on the other hand believed that she would be getting her daughter back, minus a memory or two. He wished he was as optimistic as she was.

It was late afternoon and Deeks called Nell for an update on the status of Sabatino and on how Callen was progressing. Apparently Paris had arrived and was handling G just fine. Hetty had a strange encounter on the road but couldn't see who was at the wheel of the other car or get the licence plate number. Eric was going over the traffic camera footage now looking to identify the car and the driver, but it was a slow process.

"How is Kensi?"

"Doctor is trying to bring her out of the coma, so that's the good news. What happens when she wakes up, well that's any one's guess."

"I'll call if we find anything. Oh and by the way, I love the Looney Tune Scrub hat you got for Kensi to cover the white bandages."  
"Yeah the doc had an extra one in her locker and was happy to give it her. The white bandage was too much for me to look at. Plus she's going to need something to cover her bald head. They shaved it completely for the surgery."

"Let me know if there's any change."

Nell hung-up and Deeks put the phone away and looked back at Kensi and then at Julia. Will he ever get the family to be whole again? Could he do what was required to help her get better?

Julia saw the wheels turning inside of his head. She walked over and rubbed his arm to comfort him a little.

"I'm going for coffee, do you want anything?"

"Yea….can you grab me one too."

"Sure thing, I'll be right back."

She left the room and headed down to the cafeteria to get the coffee. The muddy looking water they sold from the vending machine on that floor was completely undrinkable.

Deeks walked over to Kensi and sat down in the chair next to her. He took hold of her hand and held it as he caressed her face.

"Princess you need to wake up soon. You need to see your family and friends. You need to remember who you were before all this happened to you. But most of all you need to come back to me, we need to be together."

* * *

Sabatino had ditched the BMW and selected a late model Ford for his next vehicle. He made his way back to the hospital and entered through the side door used for nurses and doctors. Scouting the area quickly, he managed to find the doctors locker room and access one of the storage cabinets. He quickly changed into the standard green scrubs and white lab coat. Finding an open locker he removed the I.D. tag and stethoscope and wrapped it around his neck. He turned the tag backwards so the side with the photo was hidden. This way it appeared he at least had a valid photo I.D. The gun was in his hand in the right pocket of the lab coat. There was no room for the silencer so he removed it and put it in his other pocket. Now all he had to do was locate which room his favourite patient was staying in and he could check on her for the last time. It would appear that her condition had just become very critical.

Exiting the room he made his was to the main lobby to try and find her. Walking towards the elevators he noticed a lady with two coffees standing by the doors waiting. The up button had already been pushed but he asked anyway.

"Are you going up?"  
"Yes doctor, up to ICU."  
"I see, visiting family?"  
"Actually yes, my daughter. She just had brain surgery and she is recovering."  
Julia didn't know why she was being so chatty with this stranger, but he seemed like a nice enough doctor.

"Well I happen to be heading there myself to check on one of my patients. Heart attack and stroke I'm afraid. Not doing very well at all."

"Oh I'm sorry to hear that."

The elevator rang and the doors opened, he motioned with his hand that she should enter first and then pushed the floor button marked for the ICU level.

As the doors closed he stepped to the back of the car and looked up at the display screen noting the weather and local news of the day.

Julia turned and politely smiled at him and he returned the gesture.

"Looks like another nice evening."

"Yes it does." She replied.

That familiar ring again and the doors open with Julia stepping out and walking toward Kensi' room. He was right behind her walking seemingly at ease as if he had done this a hundred times before.

The agent on duty was watching Julia as she reached for the door handle and smiled at her, but in doing so didn't see that Sabatino, who was behind her, had pull his gun out and screwed the silencer back on. He grabbed the agent and placed the gun to the underside of the agent's chin.

As Julia entered the room and started to walk toward Deeks with the coffee in her out stretched hand, the agent being pushed by Sabatino fell into the room and landed on the floor. Before Deeks could react, Sabatino was in the room with the door closed behind him and the gun pointed at Kensi.

* * *

**Thanks again for the reviews.**


	11. Chapter 11

**The Little Red Tattoo **

Chapter 11

Mattias was sitting at one of Los Angeles' most expensive restaurants and he was enjoying a serving of New Zealand Rack of Lamb, rare with a bottle of 2009 Opus One from the Napa Valley. The beautiful blonde sitting with him was definitely not his wife or his mistress, she was about an eleven on a scale from one to ten and she cost him a serious amount of money. This exquisite woman, on the other hand, was not enjoying the salmon, evident from the way she was just picking at it with her fork. If you asked them about their dinner so far he would say they were having 'a very pleasant evening', she would beg to differ and was bored stupid. Mattias was casually glancing at his dinner companion's cleavage and running through several scenarios in which he and the cleavage became very intimate, when he noticed a small woman approaching his table. She had a big smile on her face and walked over to him like he was a long lost friend.

He was completely caught off guard but recovered quickly trying not to show his surprise.

"Herta, it is so wonderful to see you again. Please, please join us. The lamb is wonderful tonight." Wiping the sides of his mouth with the napkin, he glanced once more quickly at her cleavage. Hetty did not miss this and wondered if he was cleaning the drool from his mouth or removing some excess lamb.

"Mattias, my old friend, how are you? It has been years since we last saw you here in Los Angeles. If I remember correctly you had a very interesting conversation with a few of my people at that time."

Mattias slowly drank his wine, narrowing his eyes and staring at Hetty over the rim of the glass. She always found a way to best him, no matter what the situation. He remembered that meeting very well.

"Give us a minute my dear." The woman looked at Mattias, when he nodded she stood, looked at Hetty and thought she was more his speed anyway and moved to the bar for a stiff drink or three to help her get through the rest of the night. Hetty then took her seat across from Mattias, locking eyes as she focused on him.

Sam and Paris had entered the restaurant before Hetty and were sitting at a table at the far end of the room watching Mattias and the front door. When they scanned the other tables they confirmed that he was indeed alone, without body guards. Hetty had been advised and knew she could deal with Mattias unimpeded.

"Are we not becoming too old for this type of encounter?"

"What ever do you mean Herta? I am enjoying a wonderful meal with a colleague during my short stay here." More wiping of the mouth as he thought of his 'colleague'.  
Hetty smiled "Your short stay here? So you are leaving soon?"  
"Yes I am, as soon as my business is concluded. It could be another day or so, we will see how it goes."

"Anything we can assist you with?"

"No, no, I believe I have it under control but thank you for the offer."  
"Well should you need to locate someone in particular I can always make a call or two, you never know what we can turn up for you."

Mattias smiled and stood as Hetty was ready to leave the table. Bowing her head slightly Hetty began to step away from the table but imparted one last remark.

"Mattias if your business happen to take you out into the desert, be very careful, there are many dangerous creatures out there, including scorpions."

He froze for a split second then smiled "I will be sure to stay out of the desert then."

"You do that Mattias, you do that."

Hetty turned and walked towards the exit. As she passed Mattias' date sitting at the bar finishing her drink, she touched her arm and said in German "Er ist ganz ihnen." (_He's all yours)._

* * *

Mattias was back in this hotel suite lying under the covers of his king size bed looking out over the city. The view from the room was amazing and he was momentarily lost in it. His meeting with Herta was a bit unnerving but she had that effect on people. How did she know he was in the city let alone find him? She may know about the Scorpion but that was old news now.

Hetty would soon be taken care of and he would have the last laugh. He should contact Sabatino to ensure the new plan was in place but for now he had another more pressing matter that needed attending. Taking a little blue pill he rested his head against the pillows, closed his eyes and waited. The images that were floating around in his mind started his blood flowing.

His dinner companion walked out of the washroom wearing only black nylons that stopped at the top of the thigh, three inch black heels and a pearl necklace. Her hair and make-up were perfect. The color of her lipstick was a vibrant red and her body was flawless. She slowly made her way to the window and stood there looking at him. She was stunning against the back drop of the city.

He couldn't help but stare, taking in every inch of her body. "You are breathtaking." was all he could say. She smiled and stepped toward him.

She could see the lust in his eyes as she cupped his face with her left hand and kissed him gently on the lips. Her right hand moved to the back of his neck and pulled him in closer as the kiss intensified becoming harder and almost painful.

Within seconds Mattias knew something was wrong. His eyes grew wide and his pupils became dilated as the toxin raced through his blood stream paralysing him. His body fell back onto the pillows, a faint outline of red stuck to his lips. He was dead before she made it back to the washroom.

As she left the room she looked back at him on the bed and spat out "Verrater, schwein." _(Traitor, pig)_

* * *

A storm was raging inside of Kensi' head and it was a category 5. This storm was an endless loop of fragmented memories popping up and bombarding her in rapid fire succession and then disappearing.

It was almost like a flood gate had just opened up and an onslaught of images came pouring out running down the chasms of her mind. These pictures were in no particular order and ran the full spectrum of emotions taking her on a wild roller coaster ride through her life. The problem was she had no way of connecting them into a coherent time line. What happened when, recent or from deep in the past. It was like trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle with thousands of pieces but without a picture as a guide.

_Christmas morning in bed – crying; Touché, touché you cannot touch my touché; Come here Monty, come on boy; You have to stay here just a while longer; Black socks, red shorts, white t-shirt; I'm good if you're good; I'm totally over Vegas; Are you in love with your partner; kids and me don't mix; Fern baby girl._

The images kept bouncing off each other, over lapping one another and melting into the next one.

_You laugh funny and your eye looks weird; Cronut pastry baby; Top model; Coming home to me felt like hitting the ground; You never say what you really mean, it's so frustrating, how's that for communication; don't be an idiot; Sunshine, princess; Deeks stop! Switch off the lights; Kensilina, Kensi; Yea he has that effect on people; Deeks; Wikipedia; Our thing; Deeks; Bulgogi; I am too your type; Deeks; Bad ass Blye; sometimes they find you._

* * *

Sam and Paris left the restaurant about five minutes after Hetty did. The meeting went off without a hitch and as they walked towards the car Sam tried to contact Deeks.

"Funny, his phone is turned off."

Pushing his earwig, Sam connected to Eric back at Ops.

"Eric, can you get a hold of Deeks?"

"No. The phone is off and so are his comms."

"That's not good Eric. How about the agent at the door?"  
"Same thing, no response."

"Damn! We're heading over there now."

"I guess Callen is going to be on his own for a little while longer." Paris was already running to the car with Sam.

* * *

Inside the hospital room Sabatino disarmed the agent, had him remove his earwig, handcuffed him and told him to sit on the floor. Sabatino then smiled as he pointed the gun at Kensi while looking at the expression on Deeks' face.

"Gun on the floor and kick it over to me. NOW!"

Deeks removed his gun and did as he was told.

"Now the phone and the earwig."

"Nell's gonna be pissed to lose another one of these."

Deeks stepped on the earwig and phone, crushing them under his foot.

Sabatino smiled "Well aren't we a cosy little bunch. How is my favourite patient? I'm sensing she may be taking a turn for the worse."

Deeks just stared him down.  
Julia was standing next to Deeks and had no idea what was going on or who this man with a gun was. She definitely didn't know why he wanted to hurt her little girl. Deeks very slowly moved his arm out and slide it in front of Julia; he then began to move her behind him so he was between her and Sabatino.

"Well isn't that very noble of you Deeks, trying to protect Kensi' mother. Bravo."

"Who the hell are…." It hit Deeks mid sentence.

"So you do recognize me. Very good. As you noticed both Kensi and I went through a little change. Mine was more a physical one, hers, wells lets just say she came around to my way of thinking."

"Your way of thinking? You did this to her?" Deeks was speaking slowly through clenched teeth.

"No, I saved her life. She took a round to the head and I had her patched up but she was broken, no memory of anything. We managed to give her a new identity and a new life working for me. Too bad it must end this way, she was very good at what she did. I'm going to miss her….but she's no longer of any use to me."

Sabatino looked at Kensi and he could see that she was trying to wake up, or dreaming or something. Actually Deeks and Julia had noticed as well. Deeks reached under the bed sheet and rubbed her arm to try and soothe her.

"What are you doing?" Sabatino saw the movement and immediately pointed the weapon back at Deeks.

Lifting her arm in both of his hands he showed Sabatino that he was only holding her hand. "I'm just trying to keep her calm."

"It's all very touching how you care for her and I guess fitting that the two of you are together at this moment. I couldn't have scripted this better if I tried. Something like a strange Romeo and Juliet. Only difference is that I kill you both." Julia flinched at the sound of those words and grabbed Deeks' arm.

Kensi was starting to move her head every so slightly almost trying to follow the images and voices as they bounced around in her head.

_Little mutant ninja assassins; you guys are too cute. Mostly her; Deeks!; kinda look like I had her, thank you; I trust him with everything; I've killed another house plant; Deeks; your fish likes my fish; what's in the box?; Deeks; Max; Deeks; Max; James Bond, Casino Royale; It's a love story; I wish I had more pictures; Deeks she's my mother;_

"What are you talking about?" Deeks had him in a cold, hard stare.

"Did you think I dropped in just to say hello and wish her well? She made a mess of this mission and I'm stuck cleaning it up and that means you and her die." Sabatino's voice had taken a hard edge and his eyes narrowed as he returned the stare from Deeks.

Julia gasped as she listened to what Sabatino was saying. "Oh my God, no…no, you…you can't." She stepped out from behind Deeks to get close to the bed when she bumped the side table. She extended her arm, placed it on the table to help her balance and then moved next to the head of the bed and placed her hand on Kensi' shoulder. Deeks moved closer to Julia still trying to protect her.

More movement from Kensi and several small twitches told them she was fighting to wake up.

_Promise me you will never do that. What's that? Get yourself killed; We'll figure it out. We always do; I'll be with you every step of the way; Deeks!; Max?; I will try and lighten-up; that's my girl; best day ever; Deeks; we met at a gym; glad our thing is working out; Deeks; sometimes you find them; you can tell me anything; don't worry Fern; Deeks!; you know what I mean; say something you actually mean; Deeks; I'm not angry; Deeks; Fern; Max; more than anything else in the world; Deeks has been shot; God I hate this part; Deeks; he's with me and he's my partner._

Sabatino knew he had been there too long already. He rarely got his hands dirty; there was always someone that was available to perform these tasks. When faced with actually having to pull the trigger and looking at his targets in the eyes as he did, well he wasn't as tough as he made himself out to be so he needed to get this over with and out of the hospital.

"You know you'll never get away. They will find you no matter where in the world you hide. They will make it their life mission to hunt you down."

"Problem is if I don't fix this I'm dead anyway, so I think I'll take my chances with your friends."

Deeks had to stall him. He had to, it was their only chance.

* * *

Sam and Paris were running down the corridor of the hospital toward Kensi' room hoping they weren't too late. Sam noticed that the agent was not at the door and knew that meant trouble. Only one thing to do and that was to stay low, bust into the room and hopefully get a shot at Sabatino. Paris was right behind him and she knew exactly what Sam's tactic was, so she readied herself for the breach that was about to happen.

* * *

Sabatino needed a way out of the hospital and from where he was standing there was only one person that could help him with that.

"You, lady, move away from the bed and stand there near the door. You are going to be my ticket out of here. Deeks, you better kiss your girl friend good-bye. Time is up."  
"No I'm not leaving. You're going to have to kill me here." Julia was crying but standing her ground. Deeks pushed Julia almost completely behind him and looked at Kensi lying in the bed still trying to wake up.

"Take me instead. When you don't need me any longer, then kill me but leave them alone. She's going to be a vegetable anyway so why bother with her."

Kensi' head was moving now.

_Kens; Deeks? Deeks!; I will try and take things more seriously; what's the story between you and him; Deeks; Fern?; Max; I have something to say; Deeks!Deeks...Deeks..._

Kensi started to roll her head slowly side to side. Her lips were moving, like she was mouthing words but she had no strength in her voice. Her eyelids began to flutter and Deeks could see the whites of her eyes starting to peek through. Her left hand was twitching and she seemed to be gaining momentum.

Sabatino had the weapon pointed at Deeks but was watching Kensi as she began blinking her eyes rapidly. Her hand flew up in the air and her head lurched forward saying one word over and over again in a low and hushed voice.

"Deeks. Deeks. Deeks."

The sudden action by Kensi caused Sabatino to turn and point the gun at her not sure what was happening. The agent hand cuffed on the floor sensed the confusion in Sabatino and kicked the bed by accident as he was trying to stand up, causing Sabatino to look down and lower the gun barrel. Before Sabatino could figure out what was happening he felt a sharp pain in his chest, pushing him back a step and causing him to squeeze off two shots. Both hit the floor, with the second one just missing the agent's leg.

Completely stunned, Sabatino blinked several times and looked down at his chest to see a knife implanted there. His eyes rolled back into his head and he was dead by the time he hit the ground.

* * *

**Well we are most done. I have one last chapter to complete.**

**Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts. Very much appreciated.**

**Have a great weekend - Cheering for Canada in Men's Olympic Hockey! Going for Gold.**


	12. Chapter 12 - Part 1

**I apologise but the "last chapter" is going to be in two parts. It was getting too long so I decided to split it.**

**The Little Red Tattoo **

Chapter 12 – Part 1

Sam hit the door, rolled into the room looking for the Sabatino with Paris right behind him.

"Sam stop, it's me. Don't shoot." Deeks was kneeling over the body of Sabatino which still had the knife logged in his chest. Julia jumped when Sam blasted through the door and landed at her feet but she never let go of Kensi' hand.

"Damn Deeks, is everyone alright?"

"Yea, we're all good. Well except for Sabatino. No I was right the first time, we're all good."

Kensi was still slowly rolling her head back and forth and muttering under her breath still trapped within her dreams. Julia was trying to comfort her but to no avail.

Deeks released the agent from the handcuffs and pick-up the guns. As Sam stood up and surveyed the room, Paris had already gone to find a doctor for Kensi.

"What the hell happened in here Deeks?"

"Sam, I think Kensi is starting to wake up. I'll explain in a minute. Right now I want to know how she is."  
Dr. Noslo ran into the room and moved immediately to Kensi' side. The doctor hadn't noticed the dead body on the floor yet as she was concentrating on her patient. Checking Kensi' vitals quickly the doctor could see that she was beginning to come out of the coma but all the drugs that been in her system were making this a very difficult task.

Dr. Noslo turned to speak to Deeks when she saw the body and the knife.

"Oh my God." She gasped and put her hand to her mouth. "Is he dead? Do I need to check him?"

"No, I'm sure he's dead. We need to wait for the police to secure the scene but we will cover him with a blanket." Sam explained as he moved to grab a blanket from the storage closet.

"How is she doing doctor? She started talking, moving and twitching. Then her eyes were fluttering like she was in a trance. Is she waking up now?" Deeks waited anxiously for the doctor to provide him with the answers he was looking for.

"She seems to be fighting to do just that. I believe the drugs mixed with her memory lost are having a serious effect on the brain and its ability to process information clearly."

"What does that mean? Please doctor, tell us what is happening to my little girl."

Julia was now worried. She saw the look on the doctor's face and she could read it very well. When Kensi began moving, she thought it was a good thing but now she wasn't so sure.

"I need to sedate her and keep her as calm as possible. I'm not going to put her back into a coma, but she needs to rest."  
By this time three nurses had joined them in the room and began to ready Kensi to move her to another room.

"Doctor, the room at the other end of the hall is empty. We can move her there." One of the nurses spoke as she checked the monitors attached to Kensi.

"Good, lets move her now. I don't want her or any of us in here any longer than necessary. Everyone please stand back and let us move her quickly."

Julia stepped back and watched as the nurses gathered all the equipment and moved everything out with Kensi. Deeks walked over to Julia and told her not to worry, that Kensi would be ok, she just needed more time.

Sam and Paris left the room first and ran into the police coming down the hall. They held them back until Kensi was out of the room and then let them proceed with their work.

* * *

Sam watched as they wheeled Kensi down the hall to the new room. As Deeks walked by they looked at each other and Deeks knew he needed to give him a statement as to what had happened in the room behind them.

"Deeks lets grab a coffee and you can walk me through it. The doctor is going to need some time with Kensi before you can see." Without saying a word, Deeks followed Sam down to the cafeteria for their coffee.

"So what happened?"

"What happened? Well that piece of shit decided that destroying Kensi' mind wasn't enough, he came back to finish the job. Something about her screwing up a mission they were on and now he had to clean up the mess she made."

Deeks was already starting to get wound up and Sam could see it.

"Alright… Alright, just take a breath and tell me what went down in that room."

Deeks closed his eyes, ran his hand through his hair and exhaled slowly to get himself under control. Then he continued. "I was in the room standing next to Kensi. She seemed to be trying to wake up when the door opens and in walks Julia with some coffee. A second later in busts the agent…I'm sorry, what's his name?"

"It's Agent Tossner."

"Right…Well he's on the floor and behind him is Sabatino with a gun."

"Didn't he disarm you and Tossner?"

"Yes he did but he didn't see the knife, Kensi' knife. I had it with me for when she woke up. It was the only thing she seemed to have fixated on during our entire encounter so I wanted to use it if I could, to help her with her memory. I was looking at it when everything went down, so I quickly hid the knife under the blanket, next to Kensi' arm, waiting for the opportunity to use it."

"Continue."

"When Kensi starting to move her hand and head Sabatino reacted to it. Tossner kicked the bed distracting Sabatino even more and that's when I threw the knife. At that distance, I wasn't going to miss. I think he got a couple of rounds off, but they hit the floor. "

"Ok then. I guess that just leaves Mattias to deal with."  
"I wouldn't worry about Mattias Mr. Hanna, I'm sure his people will be dealing with him." It was Hetty standing next to their table looking at them. "And how is Mr. Deeks?"

"Just peachy Hetty, just peachy."

"She will get better Mr. Deeks, maybe not as quickly as you would like, but she will heal."

"Well I sure hope so. After everything she has gone through."  
"You do realize Ms. Blye will need to be debriefed as soon as she is released by the doctor? This process will take some time and it may well bring back memories that she does not want to re-live. However it must be done and unfortunately you cannot be with her during this time."

"Hetty she's going to need me next to her for support. I have to be there."  
"I'm sorry but that is not possible. You are LAPD and the information we are looking for will be classified. This matter is not open for discussion."

Sam could see hurt look on his face "Don't worry Deeks; I will be there with her every step of the way."

"Yes he will Mr. Deeks and so will I. We owe her that much."

Hetty gently squeezed Deeks' shoulder before turning and walking away. She needed to speak with Nell and make the proper arrangements for the debriefing. Nate would need to be called in and run the process. A familiar face and friend should make Kensi feel less threatened and make the entire ordeal as civilized as possible.

* * *

The sedation seemed to be working as Kensi rested without incidence for several hours; however her dreams were still very animated.

Julia had gone home around midnight so it was just him and her.

It was almost three in the morning and Deeks was sitting in a chair next to Kensi' bed and he was just looking at her and thinking of all the good times they had. He had squeezed in a few hours sleep but that was all.

Kensi head was turned to the side facing Deeks when her eyes slowly opened and focused on him. When she spoke it was low and soft.

"Deeks?" His heart began to race as if she had just fired a starting gun.

"You've been in my dreams." That statement alone was almost too much for Deeks to handle. It was like all his prayers had been answered. She was back and she remembered him. His eyes lit up and his smile grew so large it came close to swallowing his face. The rush of adrenaline made him vibrate in his seat. "That's fantastic Kensi."

She again blinked very slowly but continued to stare at him.

"Why are you in my dreams? Who is Max?" She licked her lips then asked "How do I know you?"

With that all the air was sucked out of his lungs, he slumped into his chair and dropped his head into his chest.

"What… do you… remember?" Deeks let the words fall out of his mouth.

"I'm not really sure what I know. It's like looking at a photo album with pictures that you're in but have no idea on the history behind them. I know you and I were there but nothing else. I'm sorry." She could see the hurt in his eyes but she really didn't remember him and she wasn't going to lie to him. It was obvious they had been together at one time and she assumed they were close so she owed him the truth.

"I'm very tired. Can we continue this in the morning?"

"Yes…Yes, I'm sorry. You need your rest. Get some sleep."

She blinked once, as if to say thank you and went to sleep. Deeks tried to smile but didn't quite make it.

The rest of the night was a long one for Deeks as he sat just staring at her, the thoughts in his head ricocheting off one another causing him to sink deeper into a darkness he hadn't felt in years. When the morning finally arrived it only got worse for him.

Kensi was awake and having some juice when Julia walked into the room. The first words out of Kensi' mouth was "Mom!" She stretched her arms out to greet Julia who was standing there dumbfounded. Deeks had called her earlier in the morning and warned Julia that Kensi wasn't remembering anything. Well surprise, surprise, some memories were still there, just not the ones with Deeks in them.

"Kensi. Oh my God I'm so glad that you remember me. This is wonderful." Within minutes the two ladies were waltzing down memory lane reliving the time when Kensi was a little girl and her father was still alive. Feeling like a third wheel Deeks slowly moved towards the door "I'm going for a coffee can I get you anything?"

"No, no we're fine thanks." was the reply from Kensi and with that he left the room.

As Deeks walked down the corridor he felt like he had a thousand pound weight on his heart slowly crushing it. Directly in front of him was Dr. Noslo just standing there watching him with her head tilted to one side.

"You look like you just lost your best friend."  
"I think I did, again. Doctor, why is it that she can remember her mother so well but not have any real memories of me?"

"Well, this is something called Ribot's Law where she will lose recent memories and retain the older ones. She may never remember anything from the last few years or so. We just don't know. She has now experienced trauma to her brain twice in a few short years. Her mind could be like Swiss cheese right now, so you really need to give her time to heal. You must be patient with her and help her as much as you can."

"Thank you doctor, it helps a little, I guess."

"I'm going to check in on her now. You look like you need some rest yourself. Why don't you head home and take care of yourself first and then you can start helping her."

"Maybe I will doctor, maybe I will."

Pondering the idea, he decided to go home, rest, if that was possible and clean himself up before returning to see Kensi. She was with Julia now so she would be fine.

As Deeks was walking out of the hospital he ran into Detective Bishop would was handling the case.

"Deeks, I got something for you." He pulled Kensi' knife out his jacket pocket and handed it to him. "I believe this belongs to you. We all hope she recovers fully. Take care of her."

"Thanks Bishop, I really appreciate this."

Deeks knew he had to help Kensi get her memory back. He needed to show her who she was and who they were once a long time ago before that son-a-bitch destroyed her. This knife was going to help him do just that.

* * *

When Kensi was released from the hospital she was going to stay with her mother. The two of them would slowly work on Kensi' memory and she would have a place to call home. Stability would be very important to the healing process.

The debriefing progressed excruciatingly slow as the details being requested by NCIS and the CIA just were not there. They tried providing Kensi with pictures of the targets, the locations of the missions and the weapons that were used, but nothing seemed to trigger any new memories. In her mind, it was like it never happened. Nate finally decided that any further questioning would be fruitless and would only served to frustrate her more. If the memories ever did return, they could try again then, but for now they were done.

During the time Kensi was being debriefed, Deeks had no contact with her what so ever. It drove him almost insane to know she was just minutes away and yet he couldn't talk to her or see her. He needed to talk to Kensi and give her the knife back. It would be a start and maybe if he was lucky it would help in her recovery.

As the days past Kensi was adjusting to life with Julia and the peace and quiet of a normal existence. Julia had a few old photo albums in the house and so they spent many an hour looking at the pictures and reminiscing. They would talk all day whether they were having a meal, or by the pool, or out shopping, basically just enjoying their time together. This was something Julia never had with Kensi and it was wonderful.

Unfortunately the memories did not materialize as quickly as everyone had hoped. Kensi would make regular visit to the doctor to monitor her physical progress but there was very little else they could do for her. Her hair was growing back, of course too slow for her liking, but still progressing along.

But something was bothering Kensi. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it was still there just under the surface.

Julia had been slowly bringing up the subject of Deeks when ever she could insert him into the conversation, but Kensi never took the bait. She never asked more than a question or two about him or even about the two of them and that worried Julia.

She would call Deeks every day or so and give him updates on Kensi' condition and she could sense his growing anxiety and frustration, but they knew it was going to be a long recovery so they needed to respect the process.

Julia had arranged for Deeks to come over for dinner and hopefully to start spending more time with Kensi as she continued to heal.

The night finally arrived and Deeks showed up at the house with a couple of bottles of wine and a lot of trepidation.

Dinner was casual, but Kensi seemed tense or nervous the entire night. It was almost like they had been set-up on a date and she was apprehensive about the meeting. They all made small talk, discussing recent events and drinking wine with the lasagne, except for Kensi, she drank water, on doctor's order. The apple pie a la mode Julia made for dessert was devourer mostly by Kensi making Deeks smile. Seeing a glimpse of the Kensi he knew and loved re-energized him with new hope. They had both moved to the couch with some old photo albums while Julia was in the kitchen clearing the plates and giving them time alone to go through the pictures and to re-connect.

"Kensi, I have something for you."

"You do. What is it?"

Deeks reached into in pocket and pulled out the knife. Her eyes opened wide as she reached for it.

"Oh my God it's my father's knife. Thank you so much."

She took the knife and gave Deeks a great big hug. Julia had poked her head into the room to see what was going on and saw them embrace. She had tears in her eyes seeing them together, seeing her daughter take another step forward in her recovery. Julia returned to the kitchen and sat for a moment, just happy at how things were turning out.

Kensi looked at the knife in her hand and then turned to face Deeks. He looked into her eyes and he knew something was wrong.

"What is it?"

"I don't know if I can see you again, at least not for a while until I figure out what I'm going to do about getting my life in order. Almost all of my memories of when I was a girl are back but starting around the time I was engaged to Jack up until now, well they are still just random flashes. The doctors are seeing improvement but it's very slow in coming."

"But I can help with all that. We can go and talk to the team, visit at all your favourite old hang outs; hell the donut place missed you so much it almost went bankrupt when you left for Afghanistan."

He made her laugh, he always did and that spurred him on.

"Please let me help you. I can do this, I really can. Just give me a chance."

Her voice was soft now and she was looking down at her hands as she spoke.

"I don't know you like you know me. We may have had something at one time, but that was then."

She paused for a second and then continued. Deeks' face had started to go white.

"Please understand that I can't do this now. I just don't feel that way about you. I'm so sorry, I just….just don't. You seem like a really good guy so I want to be honest with you."

Deeks was in shock. Never could he have imagined those words being spoken by Kensi to him. He had trouble catching his breath and he started to feel light headed.

"Deeks are you ok? I'm really sorry; honestly I didn't mean to upset you but you needed to know."

"Yeah…uh…yeah…I need to go now. Thank your….mother…uh…dinner. Yeah…ok." He stood looking around totally confused, ran his hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck as he headed for the door.

* * *

**The second part will be out in a few days. Have a good one.**


End file.
